


Season's Sorrows

by Hyrulehearts1123



Series: Midsummer's Children [10]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Autistic Castiel (Supernatural), Emotional Hurt, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, Kidnapping, Mention of ADD/ADHD Dean, Mention of Mind Control, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pain, Psychic Sam Winchester, acurate description of autistic overload/meltdown, aftermath of (offscreen) harm to a child, description of (offscreen) severe harm to a child, extremely brief and vague mention of torture, heavily implied self harm, mention of coming harm to teenager (or equivalent thereof), mention of past physical child abuse, mentions of harm towards a child, minor ableist comment made by a child who was confused, quick correction of minor ableist comment
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-05-09 09:36:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 29,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14713596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hyrulehearts1123/pseuds/Hyrulehearts1123
Summary: As always in life, there was no stopping the steady march of time. As the weeks passed, the weather cooled, snow began to fall, and the holidays grew swiftly closer, prompting near endless excitement and energy from the children.Well, the kids and Gabriel, but he had always been more excited about human things than the rest.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story I've been looking forward to for a very long time. This will probably end up being a culmination of everything that has happened so far, and will likely answer most, if not all of the unanswered questions left. I hope you enjoy, and I look forward to seeing all the reactions as the story progresses.

As always in life, there was no stopping the steady march of time. As the weeks passed, the weather cooled, snow began to fall, and the holidays grew swiftly closer, prompting near endless excitement and energy from the children.

Well, the kids and Gabriel, but he had always been more excited about human things than the rest.

He was currently rushing around the house, scrambling to get all the decorations he had bought earlier in the week put up before the kids got home from playing at the park with Layla and Peter. A tree, plenty of lights, tinsel, and as many sparkly and bright things as he could squeeze on the surfaces of the house, and that was only the beginning.

When it would get closer to Christmas, he would gather dozens of presents for each of the children in his care. Toys, books, games, anything they had shown interest in that he was sure they would use. If they wanted it, they would get it. Anyone who didn’t know the boys, or the situation they had been through, would likely accuse him of spoiling them, and in any other case he would agree.

But this year, he would do his best to give the boys what they wished for. They deserved it after all they had suffered.

He wasn’t alone in his rush to decorate, with all three of his elder brothers taking over the decoration of one of the major rooms of the house, and all of them working on the hallways. It was moving along at a relatively quick pace, but there was still quite a bit to do before the boys would return.

A cry from the play area over in the corner caused him to pause, setting down the ribbon that he had been working on hanging above the mantle before walking over and picking Adam up from his blanket. “Oh kiddo, I know. Those nasty, mean teeth are giving you all kinds of trouble, aren't they? Making your mouth hurt and giving you a headache, they're not nice at all are they?” He asked, humming in sympathy when Adam babbled broken syllables through his pained tears.

Walking into the kitchen, he nodded towards Raphael, who had finally been able to visit again, and was working on cleaning, before opening the freezer and pulling out a pacifier that he had placed in there earlier. “Let's see if this helps, or if I'm going to have to get the real thing from the store. Now, this is gonna be cold, so you should be aware of that.”

Delicately wiggling the pacifier between Adam’s lips during a sob, he watched in mild amusement as Raphael cringed at the kid's increased volume, before the sobs slowly tapered off as the child realized that the pain was fading away as the cold of the pacifier did its job and numbed his sore gums.

“There we go, a nice, cold paci for your poor mouth. I bet that already feels better, doesn’t it buddy?” He cooed, smiling as the clearly exhausted babe leaned against his shoulder, gripping the front of his shirt tightly. Glancing towards his concerned older brother, he shrugged as best as he could without jostling Adam, who was swiftly falling asleep. “Yeah, he’s gonna be just fine. The kiddo’s teething. Think a Fledge’s first molt, but a little more pain, and a lot less itching. His teeth are pushing through his-”

“I know what teething entails Gabriel.” Raphael cut him off, looking more than a bit uncomfortable. “I have merely never seen it up close, and did not expect such a…… violent response.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes, walking back to the living room, brother in tow. “Of course he’s not gonna like it, he’s in pain, didn’t sleep well last night, and I was shoving something cold in his mouth. Any kid would complain about that. Just be glad that I’ve taken care of a kid or ten in my time here on earth, and knew what to do. Otherwise, one of you was gonna be running back upstairs and talking with Momma Winchester. As it is she's not happy about last month, so I really don't think you want to test her.”

Setting Adam back down on the plush blanket in the corner, he left the boy to sleep as he continued putting up decorations. Raphael was mumbling about something, before he stopped suddenly, eyes wide.

“Gabriel, what did you mean by ‘a kid or ten’? Please do not tell me that you broke Father's ruling towards Nephilim!” Raphael was begging at this point, and Gabriel couldn't help but laugh, keeping just quiet enough that he wouldn't wake up Adam.

With a grin, he looked back at his brother. “I guess you'll never know then!”

“Gabriel!”

“Gabriel, stop tormenting your brother. Now, we finished the rooms you assigned us to, as well as the upstairs hall. What else will you have us do? Or would you prefer to observe our work upstairs?” Michael asked, an eyebrow raised as if daring him to try anything.

Shaking his head, Gabriel sighed. Did his brother really think so low of him as to accuse him of tormenting Raphael, especially after all he had done? Then again, now that he was thinking about it, Michael would be that kind of person to deflect any blame. Whatever. He could deflect just as well. “You’re just upset that I have a sense of humor.” Looking around the room, Gabriel took in everything that had been set up. “I trust you guys with what you did upstairs. All that’s really left to decorate is the entrance hall, and the tree in here. And I know the boys are going to want to help out with that, so I guess we're done for now, unless you think we should make something for the kids to snack on before-”

He was cut off by the door slamming open, and two frantic bodies rushing towards him, nearly knocking him over in their haste to get as close as possible.

“Gabe, you gotta-”

“Sam is-”

“I only looked away for-

“An accident I swear-”

Dean and Castiel were babbling, both barely able to get half a thought out before either being drowned out by the other, or having to start over because they were crying so hard. Layla was standing in the doorway, her face wet with tears, and thoroughly shaken, holding Peter as close to her as possible, and Sigurd’s leash tight. But as Gabriel was doing a headcount, his heart fell, and without looking at his brothers, he was more than able to piece together what Dean and Cas were trying to tell him through their sobs, and what Layla had only confirmed with her own tears.

Sam was gone. Someone or something had taken him, and there was no way of knowing if it had been random chance, or if Sam had been targeted. For the second time that year, his family had been torn apart by people outside, and he had no idea how to fix things.

 

* * *

 

The park was silent. Only the sounds of birds in the trees, and cars travelling by could be heard, instead of the usual noise of children playing and laughing.

The panic that Dean, Castiel, and Layla had caused when Sam vanished had caused parents to leave the park in droves, all holding their children tight and warning others as they were leaving that a child had just went missing. As it was, the authorities had already questioned Layla, and found nothing, and had decided to close the park for the time being, until the missing child was found.

Lucifer however, had work to do.

With Gabriel at the home trying to calm the boys, and Michael taking Raphael back to Heaven due to a reported detection of the Grace of an Angel who had been missing for several decades, that left him to find any evidence he could as to where Sam had been taken, and who by.

With a quick spell to encourage any passers by to look away, he began his search. Part of the appeal of this particular playground compared to others closeby was the fact it catered to multiple age groups. There was a sand pit with toys and a play area sized perfectly for toddlers so parents wouldn’t have to worry quite so much about their young ones falling. For older children, the play area was sized appropriately, and features several slides and swings of various kinds for the more adventurous. It even had a section for teenagers, with skate ramps and simple ziplines to keep their attention should they choose to take their younger siblings to play.

It was almost odd to see the park as abandoned as it was, though he imagined that it wasn’t quite as strange as it would have been had he chosen at any point to come to the park in the night time.

Not entirely sure as to where Sam had been playing, Lucifer began to walk around the entirely of the park, searching with his Grace for any trace of Sam’s residual energy, something he may have left, anything that could help him figure out what had happened. There was no trace near the older area, or anywhere near where teens would spend time, leaving only the area intended for toddlers. It made sense, as Sam wasn't much bigger than the group the area was intended for, and the next area up would be far too large for him to play comfortably.

Looking over the play area, his Grace lit with a flash of memory. It was not a long memory, or even one that was very interesting, but it was one that showed Sam earlier that morning. It showed the boy climbing around the area, and ended with him going down the small slide and running towards the open field behind the playground.

Following the last direction that Sam had been heading in, Lucifer scanned the area carefully, hoping that Sam hadn’t fallen down the slight decline that led to a stream that flowed out into a larger river. As the weather had been cooling, there had been no chance to teach the children how to swim yet, and Sam wouldn’t be able to keep above the surface of the water of he were to fall in.

As he drew closer to the stream, his eyes widened in horror as he saw Sam’s stuffed moose Sully laying on the ground, not far from the decline leading to the stream. Scanning the area as fast as he could, he found another flash of memory, and was relieved to see that Sam hadn’t fallen in. The memory showed Sam walking along the edge of the embankment, before being approached by a man. The man talked to Sam for a moment, before Sam looked away, likely due to someone calling for him, only for the man to grab his arm, vanishing without a trace after, and leaving Sully behind.

An Angel had stolen Sam away from them, and there was no telling where he could have taken him.

  
  


* * *

  
  


His head hurt. Really really bad. Worse than that time he used all his powers at once and had backlash for days after. He was also super dizzy, and couldn't make sense of anything he saw when he was able to open his eyes for a moment.

He had been at the park the last time he could think right, why was he somewhere made of stone, and screamed of hurt and upset?

There were cuffs on his wrists, cuffs that were warm and tingling with magic, and had a chain that led to the center of the small room. Whenever he would try and use his power, they would shock him, sending the energy back towards him in ways that were painful.

As he slowly began to panic, he almost missed the door to the room he was in opening, a woman with long blonde hair entering.

“Good evening Samuel. We have work for you to do.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!!!!!
> 
> From this point on, the story starts gettimg more intense in multiple ways. The tags will be updated to reflect as much, as well as having chapter specific warnings.
> 
> The warnings for this chapter include Acurate depictions of an Autistic Overload and Meltdown, Descriptions of Severe Offscreen Harm to a Child, and Aftermath of Offscreen Harm to a Child.
> 
> Take care of yourselves, and let me know if you want a summary of the chapter, or scenes that you skipped.

They were all gathered in the dining room, attempting to plan their next move. Even Dean, Castiel, and Adam were there, sitting in the corner of the room in one of the large, plush chairs that had been moved from the kitchen. No one had been willing to let any of them out of their sight, and the boys hadn’t wanted to be far from their protectors either.

What Lucifer had found had not only confused them all, but frightened them as well. What use would an Angel have with a child so young, even if the child was as strong a psychic as Sam was? But there was also no true way of knowing just how strong he would become in the future. Perhaps whoever had taken Sam wished to use potential powers that the boy may grow into for their own gain?

And whoever it had been had disguised themselves well. There had barely been enough Grace left behind to identify that the kidnapper even was an Angel in the first place, and unless they had made a record of their departure and vessel, there would be no true way to identify them through human means.

“When I find who did this, I’m going to wring their neck! No one hurts a kid among our kind! No one hurts _my_ kid!” Gabriel was growling, and Raphael could not blame him. His anger was more than justified, and it was better for him to face his foe with the preparedness of cool rage than to be blinded by hot wrath.

“I shall head home at once and call for each Garrison to take account of all their number. Any who are not accounted for are suspect in this matter. We will find who did this, make no mistake.” Michael declared, vanishing a moment later.

Lucifer shook his head, sighing heavily. “Truly, he needs to learn patience. If this was a plot created by several, they would account for each other. Then we will be right back where we began.”

“Then what do you suggest we do?!  Sam is somewhere out there, alone and frightened! I don’t know about you, but I will not let this go on any longer than it needs to!” Gabriel shouted, and a sudden movement in the corner of his vision caught Raphael’s attention.

Castiel was rocking slightly, holding his hands over his ears and his eyes closed tightly. He was whimpering soft enough that Gabriel and Lucifer, who were still arguing with themselves, could not hear. Dean was watching him with concern, and as such did not have the presence of mind to watch Adam’s straying hands.

And in the end, it was that small oversight that caused all manner of chaos to be unleashed.

Adam, who was still very much unhappy and in pain due to his emerging teeth, pulled himself to a standing position using Castiel’s hair, and started to cry both from the volume of Gabriel's shout, and the soreness of his gums.

Within moments of the first cry that Adam released, Castiel started screaming, vanishing from the chair he had been sitting in and appearing in the far corner of the room, an overly small, tattered set of wings with far too few feathers, and far too many scars wrapped around him, blocking out what little light they could.

Those were not the wings that Castiel had shown them upon that night so long ago when he and Sam had convinced him and Michael to give Lucifer a chance to prove himself. While those wings had been on the smaller side, they had been healthy and full, indicating only that Castiel would come into his wings as he grew. But for his wings to look like this?

He would be lucky if he would ever be capable of flying very far, or for very long. As it was, it would take decades for his wings to recover, if they ever did.

“Enough brothers. There are children here that will need out help. Gabriel, take Dean and Adam upstairs, and run a bath for them. Lucifer, prepare the living room as quietly as you can, and keep the others away. I am not certain as to what exactly is wrong besides the state of his wings, but he will need somewhere quiet to rest.” He commanded, glad that for once in their lives, his brothers were listening to him and doing as he needed them to.

Lucifer paused for a moment, before speaking softly. “I am unsure how much it would help, but when we gained Sigurd, Castiel forged a bond with him quickly. Not only that, but he is certified to aid children with Autism, a developmental issue among humans. I have been watching him the last several weeks, and I have seen multiple signs.”

Taking a deep breath, Raphael nodded. “My Grace is detecting something similar now that I am looking for it. Why did you not mention it sooner?”

“I did not wish for any of the children to see Castiel differently, or to act in ways that were outside the norm. Being treated as an outsider is harmful enough to humans, I did not want to chance such a thing happening with him.”

With another nod, Raphael knelt in front of Castiel, who had quieted somewhat, but was sobbing heavily and crying out on occasion. “It matters not anymore. Allow me time to move him, then bring Sigurd in if you believe it will aid him in any way.” He paused then, glancing at his older brother once more. “For what it is worth, I do not believe that the children would treat him as someone different. If they change their behavior, it will likely only be for Castiel’s benefit.”

The conversation ended for the time being, Raphael touched Castiel’s head gently where it poked through his tattered wings, hoping to soothe the Fledgling before attempting to move him.

“Come now, Little Crow, can you speak? Can you tell me what is bothering you? I wish only to help you in whatever way you need.”

Castiel seemed incapable of speech for quite some time, before a single word broke through his cries. “Bright!”

With a soft hum, Raphael waved a hand to cause the lights to dim, leaving only enough light to be able to find one's way with. “Is there anything else?”

Castiel was again speechless for a time, before another word escaped. “Itchy!”

The Fledgeling was wearing much the same clothes he always had without problem, and there was no change in soap or softener that would cause any issues, so it was far more likely that he was overstimulated, and all his sensors were out of control. “I see. I wish to move you to the living room, in hopes that you will be more comfortable there. May I carry you there, or would you wish to go there yourself? Or would you prefer to remain here for the time being?”

Castiel whined, and his rocking started anew where it had been tapering off. He was far too gone, lost in the _itchywrongbadtoomuch_  flooding his mind to the point he was projecting it as loud as he could, as if praying for any reprieve. Knowing that he would not be able to receive any further response from the Fledgling that could be seen as any form of communication until he began to calm, Raphael took a breath to steady himself, before carefully working his arms around Castiel, whispering a soft apology moments before he lifted him from the ground.

As expected, the moment that he was moved the slightest bit, Castiel began to scream once more, struggling to be free. But his struggles were not the struggle of a child that does not wish to be held, or even that of a child who is fighting for a cause.

No, these were the struggles of one who had suffered greatly, and needed to escape before they were subjected to far worse torments.

Moving as quickly as he was able, Raphael made his way to the nest of pillows and blankets that Lucifer had created in the center of the room, placing Castiel down as gently as he was able. The moment that he had moved far enough away, Castiel curled in on himself, shielding his head with both his arms and his poor wings. No wonder Michael had made the comment he did about the Fledgling being terrified about his first Molt.

Connecting to the private channel that the Archangels all shared, he closed his eyes for a moment as he reached towards Michael. _”Michael, search as secretly as you can for any who knew Castiel before he came to live with Gabriel. Someone hurt him badly, and I will not rest until I see them found and punished.”_ Allowing his eldest brother to see not only Castiel’s actions since he had left, as well as his condition, and all the suspicions that came with them, it was more than easy for Raphael to feel his brother’s rage.

They had failed this Fledgling in far too many ways by not realizing his existence, and it showed. They had only themselves to blame for things getting as bad as they had, thought the punishment of those who had actively harmed one as innocent as Castiel had been would be one of many steps that would hopefully lead to his recovery.

But that would come in the future. For the time being, Raphael would merely have to try his hardest to make Castiel as comfortable as possible.

Taking several blankets from the very edges of the nest, along with a weight from one of his many scales, he used his grace to weave the fabric and material together, until he was left with a single blanket that was neither too soft nor too rough, and weighed nearly twenty pounds. Hoping it would be enough, he then lifted the blanket until it floated above Castiel, before allowing it to cover him an ounce at a time, until the entire weight of the blanket was settled over his frame.

The Fledgling froze for a moment, before whining softly, burrowing under the blanket as best he could, squirming and grabbing at the blanket until he had the right amount of pressure in all the places he needed it. Slowly, his whines began fading into soft hums, and he finally seemed to calm, nearly two hours since his Meltdown had begun.

Lucifer finally entered the living room once more, looking almost as frazzled as Raphael had felt for a while. “My apologies, Dean ended up having an episode, and he needed both of us as well as Sigurd to calm him. He is resting now, with Gabriel watching over him.”

Shaking his head, Raphael smiled softly, aware that his every act was tinged with exhaustion. “It’s quite alright. It was probably for the best. He needed as little stimulation as possible, and will for quite a while still until his sensory system readjusts itself. For the time being, he is calm, and I would like to keep it that way as long as possible.” Setting a light ward along the room that would reduce any stimulation that would enter, as well as alert him should Castiel’s condition change in any way, before standing and waving his brother over. “Come, we must talk.”

Walking back to the kitchen, he silently sat in one of the chairs scattered around the table, pulling a journal from one of his many libraries as he did so. “Once they are both ready for a conversation, we will all need to discuss what happened, and what changes may need to be made to accommodate both Castiel and Dean for their various problems.”

Lucifer growled at that, but Raphael did not back down. “I am not saying that there is anything wrong with them. In fact, it is perfectly natural. Castiel developed differently than most angels, and it left him with certain needs that others don’t have, and problems that others don’t usually face. Dean was placed into a stressful situation that he was forced to be in charge of, and was blamed for everything that went wrong. That would give anyone anxiety if carried on long enough. But add to that the way he was thrown into the world of the supernatural without having any time to adjust, as well as not having time to properly grieve the loss of his mother? It’s a wonder that he is anywhere near as functional as he is, let alone having successfully raised both Sam and Adam by himself for as long as he did.”

There was a sigh from Lucifer then, and he spoke softly. “I know. It’s just that-” He cut off, looking away.

“You wish to protect them, and I realize that. But sometimes there are things that no one can protect a child from, not even beings as strong as we are. This is just one of those things that we cannot help from happening, but we are here to help them recover and adapt. Even if we stumble and fail on occasion, even if we make things worse for them, and believe me, we all will at one time or another, we are still here to help them.” Raphael smiled, reaching across the table to place his hand over his brother’s. “Do not be filled with worry for the future, brother. Both you and Gabriel have been doing a fantastic job of raising the children, even in as little time as you have had them.”

They were quiet for a time, both merely enjoying the presence of the other, before they were interrupted by Michael reappearing in the room.

“Gather Gabriel. I have the names of several who have not been seen for several days, and two who have been missing for years.”

  


* * *

 

 

They were in the kitchen once more. Gabriel stood in the corner feeding Adam, watching the rest of his brothers as they began to lay their plans out.

“Neither Zachariah, Uriel, Naomi, or Samandriel have been seen in several days, though Samandriel can be excused as he has been on a solo training exercise the last week, and has made all his check-ins with hardly a few minutes difference as to the schedule, while the others routinely go missing, not showing up for days after. The two who have not been seen for years are Gadreel, who has not been seen since shortly after the Battle, and Balthazar, who has not been seen for nearly three decades upon Earth. Those are our most likely candidates, though the other three are also valid suspects.” Michael explained, and Lucifer chimed in.

“Castiel told me once that Balthazar raised him for a time, before vanishing. I would prefer we not inform Castiel of his guardian’s potential involvement in the matter until we know for certain.”

Michael nodded, turning to look towards the living room. “Agreed. There is no need to sully the memory of the one who raised him until that point. Gabriel, who do you propose we investigate first?”

Slightly shocked at having Michael defer to him, Gabriel was quiet. He didn’t want to have any of his brothers actively involved in the search for the time being, as they would draw too much attention to themselves. But if they were able to find a select few that could be trusted, they could have someone keep an eye on those still in heaven, while they searched for those missing upon the Earth.

And he was sure he had just the angel in mind.

“Call Samandriel back from his mission. Have him keep an eye on the other three, and we can search for Balthazar and Gadreel ourselves. Finding Sam is the most important thing here. If the other three aren’t involved, then we can leave them for the time being.”

Michael nodded, looking towards the others. “Anyone opposed? Alright. Next up, searching for Sam. There’s a lot of ground to cover, and not a lot of time before the chances of finding him begin to lower dramatically, especially since whoever took him has the ability to change location at will should they wish. While we may wish to all search, someone will need to stay with the children, and the rest of us will need to be smart about the search. While they may have taken him far, it is also likely that they may have stayed close by, hoping that we seek out the furthest corners of the earth. One of us will need to search the Isles, one will likely need to search where the home was before, as well as where the boys lived before their father dragged them away on an errand of revenge.”

“I will search nearby.” Lucifer was quiet, holding the table tightly. “If they are anywhere nearby, I swear I will find them.”

Gabriel was torn. He wanted to stay with the boys, but at the same time he _really_  wanted to look for the bastard that took Sam away from him. He had promised Dean that he wouldn’t ever leave, but he also promised that he would protect them from any harm. He needed to look for Sam. There was no way around it.

“I’ll take the boys’ old home, as well as where the old location. I can’t just stay here, knowing that Sammy is out there, likely hurting, and scared out of his mind.”

Raphael came close, squeezing his shoulder before taking Adam, who was sleeping. “I will remain with the children, and ensure no harm comes to any of them. Find your child, Gabriel.”

Looking toward his brothers, Gabriel’s eyes began to water at the intense amount of support and love his brothers had for him and the boys. He nodded sharply, before taking off, flying for the home where Sam and Dean once lived. There was nowhere on earth that he would not search in order to find Sam.

No matter how long it took, he would find Sam. He swore upon the foundations of Creation that he would not give up until Sam was safe back home, or it was discovered that Sam did not survive, no matter how much he prayed he would find Sam safe and sound.

 

* * *

 

 

A scream filled the room, and it took far too long for Sam to realize it came from him.

“There we are. I knew you had a voice under all that nonsense of wasting your powers on something so silly. Now then. I want the names of all the angels upon earth, as well as all the hunters, and all the locations of their hideaways in the United states.”

He could barely understand what the woman was saying, he hurt so bad. Strange sounds kept coming from him, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t find where they were escaping from, or how to stop them.

“Kaytlinn, he’s practically unresponsive. Bring him in and see if he can get anything out of him.”

Something touched his forehead, and there was the familiar feeling of Grace sweeping through him, but it was different, it wasn’t right, it wasn’t-

“.....G…...b……”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SUMMARY OF LAST CHAPTER:
> 
> While discussing their next move regarding how to find Sam, a combination of multiple factors causes Castiel to suffer an autistic Meltdown, that Raphael helps him through. It is also discovered that Castiel's wings are horrifically injured, due to prior severe mistreatment. Dean has an offscreen panic attack.
> 
> Michael, Lucifer, and Gabriel all leave to search for who could have taken Sam, with Lucifer searching in the British Isles where they live now, Gabriel searching not only where the house used to be, but in Lawrence where the boys lived before, and Michael conducting an investigation in Heaven to try and find out who the Angel who took Sam was.
> 
> In the final scene, whoever took Sam has harmed him to the point where he screams with his voice, and they call in an unknown other in order to try to extract any information he may have on any Angels, Hunters, or anything of the sort.
> 
>  
> 
> So yeah. As you can tell, things just keep getting darker. This chapter is a bit of a reprive, but not by too much. We're down to about the normal levels of pain in this one, but we still need some warnings, found right below.
> 
> WARNINGS:
> 
> Implied offscreen harm to a teen (or the equivalent thereof), explanation as to how autism can affect some people, slightly ableist question made from a place of curiosity, with no intent to be cruel, aftermath of autistic Meltdown, and mention of prolonged violence in the final scene, though it only lasts a few sentences.
> 
> Stay safe, if I need to add any further warnings, let me know! I'll also be adding a summary of the previous chapter to each new addition, until things calm down.

It took all of his control to keep Samandriel from shaking in excitement. He had only just finished his training, and Michael had asked to see him for an important mission! He wanted to brag to his Flockmates so badly, but there had been mention of his recent training, and all he had been training on the last year had been stealth, so it was likely that whatever his mission was needed extreme discretion, and he wasn’t about to blow what might be his only chance to impress Michael because he wanted to brag!

To think, that his first real mission, given by Michael! He had waited so long to finally finish training, and after so long, so many delays, so many failures, his first mission would be given by the eldest of them all!

What’s more, he was instructed to meet Michael for his mission in the Archangels private Garden, which was the closest to the remains of Eden, and somewhere most Seraphs only dreamed of seeing from afar, never mind standard rank Angels like himself!

…… Ok, so he wasn’t 100 percent sure he was actually going to be getting his first mission. But he had been asked to meet Michael privately, and he had never been on a mission before, so what other conclusion was he supposed to come to?

As he got closer to the Archangel Garden, he noticed two others standing just outside the borders, as if trying to know what was happening within the expansive Garden. Knowing that the meeting was supposed to be secret, Samandriel snuck around as best as he could, praying that he wouldn’t be spotted by them.

“Do we know who he asked to see?”

They were whispering, but it was loud enough that he could hear them. He had been created for Gabriel’s Garrisons after all, even though he had been shuffled around after the Archangel had gone missing.

“No. But we well find out. We have come too far to be stopped.”

Talking with elder Messengers had given him tips on how to perform aspects of the job that were necessary. It wasn’t just going from one place to another, delivering information after all. No, a large part of their job before the War had been to gather information, and they were constantly sent out to practice on the rank and file, as well as themselves, until they became as skilled as possible. While he wasn’t anywhere near as skilled as any of them had been before they were transferred to other Garrisons, he still knew enough to be able to get this information unnoticed, even if it meant that he would be late for his meeting.

“Enough. The meeting is scheduled soon. Once they are finished, we will do what we must. It should not be long before we see the one who was chosen as they enter, we already saw Michael not long ago, and no one would dare be late to a meeting with him, especially with how isolated he has kept himself until recently.”

“Agreed. What’s more, one should keep their noses out of others’ business, especially when they’re an untrained brat without any experience!”

Samandriel’s eyes widened, and he started to sprint towards the Garden. He was so close, and Michael would be able to protect him, no one entered the Garden without one of the Archangels knowing, but mere inches before he crossed the border, his arm was grabbed harshly, and he was pulled against someone’s chest, before being flown to a strange location that blocked his Grace, and bound his wings. He was firmly incapable of escaping, or fighting against whatever his captors may choose to do to him, and as the clear leader of the group.

“Now then, I want to know everything you know. About us, about the Archangels’ plans, about whatever mission they were to send you on, everything. And if you behave well enough, we may have a mission of our own for you.”

 

* * *

 

Michael had a mystery on his hands. One that was swiftly giving him cause for concern, all things considered.

Samandriel hadn’t shown up for their meeting in the Garden, despite having been given permission to enter in, and both his commander and squad leader had confirmed that he had left for the meeting on time. There had been evidence that several Angels had been near the Garden recently, but enough cut around the Garden as a shortcut, and some even going through the outskirts, that he had originally seen no cause for concern, but now he was starting to question if whoever had been nearby at that time had somehow managed to spirit Samandriel away, the same as Sam had been taken.

To top it off, there was almost no hope of trying to find who had taken him, simply due to the fact that the area was so often traversed. Add that there was just so much Grace to be found in Heaven, and the situation was made even more complicated.

“Like I told you, Sir, no one has seen Samandriel since he left earlier this morning to speak with you. The moment any of the Angels under my command see him, we will inform you, but as of this moment in time we have no information.” Ambriel, leader of the Garrison Samandriel was in reported, clearly trying to stay calm for the sake of those under her command. As leader of the youngest Angels in Heaven, she was in a strange position.

They had been far too young to remember anything that had happened in the War, and as such had no trauma that nearly everyone else had in regards to having to fight against their closest siblings, but at the same time, they had little experience in how to cope when one of their own would vanish suddenly. Nor did they know how to respond to the possibility that one of their siblings could mean harm towards another. 

With a sigh, Michael nodded. “I understand Ambriel. I am just concerned that he may be in danger, even here in Heaven. You and I both know all too well that no matter where you are, there is still danger lurking in the shadows.”

Ambriel flinched slightly, before forcing herself back under firm control. “We will search as far as we can. I have several here who were to be trained by Gabriel, and even without the personal training, they are already rather skilled in the work that he and his officers performed. None to the degree that those officers used to be, but still skilled enough to misdirect attentions where needed, and find the information that no one wishes for others to discover.”

Michael looked at Ambriel for a long moment, before sighing once more, covering his eyes with a hand. “I tried to keep him from building a spy network, Father only knows how hard I tried to keep him from turning his Messengers into Spies, but no, he had to create a spy network to spite me.”

“There’s a lot that Gabriel did that you weren’t privy to. The Network is only the tip of the iceberg.”

Turning slightly, Michael saw an Angel in a young vessel, no older than eighteen. They were leaning against one of the several pillars in the area, and appeared to be one of the few that was keeping calm. “And what would one of those things be?” he asked, eyebrow raised in question. He had a suspicion as to how they knew so much, but it was always best to hear the answer from the one who knew the truth.

The Angel scoffed, rolling their eyes as they pushed away from the pillar. “Like I’d ever tell, even if you are the Commander. Etheriel. On paper, fourth youngest standard rank.” Walking closer, the angel looked him right in the eye as she crossed her arms. “Off book, second youngest operative in the Network. I’m Samandriel’s handler. Have been the whole time he’s been active. Any missions or training the higher ups were given to him through me, and all his reports were given to me. His disappearance was noticed within minutes, and the entire Network is looking for him as we speak. My role at this moment is to keep you up to date on the situation as we find out more, as well as inform you of any possible suspects that are brought to light.”

With another sigh, Michael nodded. “I appreciate it. If possible, I would also like to speak with several operatives for a private mission.”

“Entirely unrelated to whatever you wanted Samandriel for, I trust. I'll get the request where it needs to go, but in the meantime I need to know exactly what you wanted him for. If someone found out, it's possible that we may be looking at an abduction, not a simple disappearance, or loss of time.”

It was a suspicion that had been building in his mind the last hour. One that he had not wanted to think about, yet one that was slowly becoming one of the few plausible answers as to what may have happened.

“Not quite. Come, we will discuss this in my office. I trust that we will have the minimum of listeners there?”

Etheriel scoffed, rolling their eyes. “As if. That’s where the most members hide. You use Gabriel's Messengers to get documents to and from other parts of upper management every day. Most of the simple paper shufflers and filers are Agents that we have at our disposal, if only because you all decided to use the Messenger Corps for your own use, ignoring that their primary purpose was, and alway would be, the gathering and spreading of information. Just because no one was pulling the collective strings doesn’t mean that anything stopped. It just moved into the shadows where no one would notice.”

Michael sighed, nodding. “I understand. Now, about what I need for someone to look into…”

 

* * *

 

“What’s wrong with Cas?” 

The question was soft, and Raphael set down the cloth he was using to clean the counter. Somehow, Dean had managed to enter the kitchen without his notice, and was standing close to the entry, his stuffed wolf held tightly in one arm, and Sigurd’s harness with the other.

He had wanted to explain the situation regarding Castiel in detail once the entire family was gathered back together and safe, but he realized that Dean wanted to know, and needed to know as soon as possible.

Hearing Adam begin to move around in his cot, Raphael made up his mind quickly. “Come with me upstairs. I wish to check on Adam, and I will explain to the best of my abilities.” Leading Dean back up the stairs, he began the impromptu ‘lesson’ the same as he began any other. “Now, before I begin, I like to ask questions. They aren’t difficult, and this isn’t a test. I merely wish to know what one knows on a subject before discussing it, that way I do not end up repeating things that who I am talking with already knows.”

“Makes sense.” Dean mumbled, hiding his face somewhat in the fur of his wolf, and pulling Sigurd closer. Raphael gently guided Dean towards the bed he shared with Castiel most nights, before parting for the moment to be able to collect Adam from the cot that had been moved from where it had been in Gabriel’s room.

After lifting Adam from the cot, and checking the diaper as gently as he could, he began. “Tell me, what do you know in regards to people with learning disabilities?”

Dean was quiet, and for a long moment Raphael wasn’t sure if Dean would even say anything, before the soft voice filled the air once more. “Sometime kids can’t sit still, or they can’t focus, and doctors give them pills and stuff that make them calm down and focus. Lots of teachers said I need that stuff before we would just move again and it would all start again.”

With a sigh, Raphael nodded. While Dean did know some things, it was more than clear that his knowledge was shaky at best, and entirely wrong at worst. “That is one type of learning disability, but that isn’t the one that we’re going to discuss today. What, if anything, do you know about Autism? There is no wrong answer, I just want to know what you know.”

This time, Dean shook his head. “I don’t know what that is.”

“And that’s perfectly alright. Not many know too terribly much about it, especially if they do not regularly have contact with one who has the condition. Asking any questions is more than acceptable, as that’s how we learn. Autism is a developmental disorder that affects each person with it differently. Some describe having autism as having been born without the rulebook for social interactions, and as such need to learn how to react in conversations, while others find that they are born with only a few of the rules blurred or missing, and others still find themselves somewhere in between.” Sitting on the bed across from Dean, Raphael could tell that the boy wasn’t quite understanding.

Looking around the room, he found something that could help him explain. Grabbing one of the many stuffed animals, he held it in the hand that was not bracing Adam. “Think of it this way. Imagine that everyone on earth is given a stuffed animal shortly after they are born. For most people, it is not only their favorite animal and color, but it is also perfectly sized for them, and the perfect texture. Not too soft, not too rough, the fur just the right length. But for some people, people like Castiel, their stuffed animals aren’t matched well. They’re too big, too small, a color that’s too bright for them, the texture is itchy to them, all sorts of problems. But there’s no way to change what stuffed animal you have after it’s been given, so they’re stuck with what they’re given forever.”

Dean nodded, before frowning. “Then why can’t they just put the stuffed animal away, and ignore what’s wrong with it?”

“That is a very good question. But for this example, the stuffed animals are essential to daily life, and as such cannot be traded, sold, or put away. Sometimes the problems are easy enough to cope with, and those people can get through the day and keep a brave face on until they get home again. But sometimes the things that make the stuffed animal hard to handle, whether it be the size, the texture, or the color, it’s just too hard to bear, and they end up having what is known as a Meltdown, which is what ended up happening to Castiel today. There’s no way to stop a Meltdown, and no way to change things.” With a sigh, he put down the stuffed animal, and reached out to put his hand on Dean’s shoulder. “This doesn’t mean that Castiel is any different, or that you or anyone else needs to treat him any differently. Sometimes he’ll need somewhere quiet to sit and collect his thoughts. Sometimes he’ll need something to be removed, either from the room, or the house in general, because it bothers him too much. Some days, he’ll need for people to not touch him, and others he may want nothing more than for someone to sit and hug him all day long. But that should not change how you or anyone else treats him otherwise. At the end of the day, he’s-”

“He’s still Cas. He’s still the Angel I found in the woods, and my best friend. It doesn’t matter if he’s different, he’s still just Cas.”

With a smile, Raphael nodded. “That’s right, he’s still just Castiel. As long as you remember that, everything will be fine, I promise.” He was ready to let the conversation end, until he realized something. Dean mentioned finding Castiel in the woods. If he knew anything about what Castiel’s life was like before he came to earth, it may shed some light on how he had managed to act so different.

Signs of autism don’t just appear out of nowhere, even in Angels, and one as young as Castiel would have no experience with trying to hide something such as that. He could only see one reason for anything of that nature to come about, but he hadn’t see any evidence that such things were still happening anymore. There hadn’t been any evidence since the War, so he had seen no reason to pursue any form of punishment for them. But if his suspicions were correct in any way, then he would never forgive himself.

He needed to find the truth. He owed it to Castiel, as well as any others who had been harmed in any way due to his inattention.

“Dean, I have another question for you. Nothing quite as serious as before, but still something that has me curious. How much do you know about Castiel’s life before he came to live with you?” 

Dean’s head tilted to the side slightly, eyes filled with confusion. “Not a lot, he doesn’t really like talking about it. Why?”

There was no easy way to explain his concerns, especially knowing what had happened in Dean’s past, and what he was still fighting to recover from, but Raphael had always believed in telling the truth to those who were young, and he was not going to change his policies now.

“I believe that Castiel may have been mistreated by others when he was still in Heaven. There is little evidence to it, but I have been suspecting this for quite a while, and while Castiel is resting after his Meltdown, he cannot answer my questions. If you know anything that may be able to help me better understand Castiel’s past, it would be most helpful.”

Several minutes passed in silence, before Dean finally whispered, his voice softer than it had been in the entire time that Raphael had known the boy. “I would hear him talk in his sleep sometimes. He was real quiet about it, but I still woke up when it happened. It's been about two weeks since it last happened though.”

Nodding softly, Raphael tried to push for more information. “Do you remember what he would say?”

Dean shrugged, before shaking his head. “He would mumble a lot, and even then I couldn’t really understand, because he would talk in some weird language, and I don’t know what he’s trying to say.”

“Can you try to repeat anything he’s said? No matter how you make mistakes on how it’s supposed to be said, it may be enough that I can gain some form of understanding of what all his dreams entail.”

He knew it was a stretch. Time had a way of corrupting memories, especially if the memories in question were from when one was half asleep.

But Dean had ways of surprising him in unexpected ways.

It was soft, and the pronunciation was incredibly accurate for a human, though it did have its flaws, but it was more than enough for him to get the general message.

“ **No, stop, hurt, bad, please.** ”

His heart broke once more for the pain that the children had suffered. They had been through far too much for their short lives, but the world only seemed determined to unleash even more torment upon them.

“That is more than enough Dean. Thank you.” He had no desire to hear any more, especially when the grammar and wordings used were the highly informal vocabulary of a small Fledgling, who was too young to fly, let alone be put under such torment by one who was supposed to help protect him, called out in sleep often enough for Dean to learn to say them.

“Can I go see Cas now? I wanna see him, he shouldn't be alone.”

Such an innocent question, born purely of a desire to comfort a friend in need. Even after so much pain, so much darkness, Dean was still so full of light and love. It was almost overwhelming to see up close, especially from one so young. It would be interesting to see what Dean would be capable of as he grew.

“I don't see why not. Just remember, he may not want you too close, or too loud.”

As Dean nodded, and they began going back downstairs, Raphael caught a glimpse of the boy's soul, and was nearly blinded by how bright and warm it was, completely unmarred by any of his past experiences, though there should have been some sign of his suffering.

He needed to talk with Michael and Gabriel. There was no way that Dean was merely human. No human soul was that bright, that strong, that warm.

There was only one explanation for this, and it would put the children in even greater danger should it be discovered by the wrong people.

 

* * *

 

Every night before bed, Dean's mother would kiss him on the head, and tell him that Angels would watch over him.

After her death, Dean had no reason to believe such a thing anymore. Angels hadn't saved his mom from the fire, they didn't help him have more food to give Sammy, or keep his dad from getting drunk and angry, so it was easy to come to the belief that Angels just didn't exist.

Finding out that gods from mythology existed had been a shock. Finding out that an Archangel was posing as one of those gods had been even more of a shock.

Suddenly Angels weren't a matter of belief anymore, instead becoming a firm part of his nee reality. Cas, Gabe, Luce, all of them were real. He could accept that. He could accept that his mother believed they were real.

Accepting that they had no way of saving his mom was harder.

Ok, Cas and Luce had a bit of a pass. Gabe too he guessed. But there were a lot of Angels, he had heard Gabe talking with Mike about them, so why couldn't one if them save her?

Mike talked about how a small group of Angels had protected nations in the past, so if only a few were able to keep entire nations safe, why couldn't they spare just a few minutes to help?

Those questions had haunted him for years. He hadn’t known at the time why any of those things had been happening, lost in the struggle of what he was going through. But now, while he was walking into the living room, Sigurd at his side, and Raphael at his back, he realized that he knew exactly what he needed to do.

He heard Raphael call out, but gave it no attention. He crawled onto the nest in the center of the room, laying down a few feet away from Castiel, smiling at him softly. “Hey Cas. I heard you weren’t feeling too good, so I figured that we can just hang out down here today, maybe watch some tv later if you want. Sound good?”

Cas opened his eyes ever so slightly, humming softly as he shifted, moving closer to Dean until he was laying on top of him. Things would be rough for a while, even after they got Sam back. He knew that. But he would do what he could to make things easier for Cas as much as he could. He owed it to him.

 

* * *

 

He couldn’t do it much longer. He barely had enough strength to keep himself and the other alive, never mind the child. He needed to get them all out, before anything much worse happened.

But first, he needed to find a way to break the hold their captors had on them both. No use in trying to escape, only to be discovered the moment they used their powers, or be immediately recalled the instant they tried to leave.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SUMMARY OF LAST CHAPTER:
> 
> A young Samandriel was asked to meet with Michael for a secret mission, but was abducted before he could reach the meeting point by someone who preventing him from leaving, and implied that they would use harm to gain whatever information they desired from him.
> 
> Michael went in search of Samandriel, meeting another young Angel who was the youngest member of an Information Network, a group of spies loyal only to Gabriel, who made it their goal to gather and share any information that could be important to anyone, regardless of who they may be.
> 
> Meanwhile, Raphael sat Dean down, and explained some of the various ways that learning disabilities, specifically Autism, can affect people. They also talked about Castiel, specifically what Dean knew of Castiel's past, and Dean recalled several words that Castiel would mumble in his sleep that implied that someone had harmed him in the past. Raphael also noticed something strange about Dean's soul, making a note to speak with Michael about it later.
> 
> Dean laid down to relax with Castiel, promising himself that he would do whatever was needed to make things easier for Cas.
> 
> An unknown being muses about needing to escape from where they are bound, and the chapter ends.
> 
>  
> 
> WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER:
> 
> Multiple mentions of harm towards a child throughout the chapter, Minor mention of past physical abuse of a child, Just John Winchester's truly A+ Parenting to be honest, Extremely brief and vague mention of torture, Minor mention of Mind Control, and Heavy implication of intentional overuse of powers in an attempt to break free of one's captors in a way that can read as Self Harm.
> 
> Stay safe! If you need any portion of this summarized before the next chapter, think any additional warnings need to be added, or find anything that slipped past both myself and the amazing TalkingToMyselfAgain as my beta, let me know! I'm more than willing to do whatever is needed to help everyone enjoy my story!

He hurt. Real bad. All over.

He wanted to go home. He wanted his brothers. He wanted his moose. He wanted Lu-

“Hush child. There are only so many of us whose names start with that sound, and we can only keep them at bay for so long.”

Another voice scoffed. “Not that either of us are doing that great a job in any case. We can’t keep them from hurting him, we can’t keep them from hurting us, we can’t even do anything without their express permission! How do you expect to do anything if we can’t even walk from one end of a room to the other without their oh so tender mercy?!”

“That is enough. We will simply have to do what we can with what we are allowed. They will drop their guard soon enough, and we must be prepared for when they do. We can not allow this treatment of a child to continue much longer.”

A soft sound was filling the room, but was quickly silenced when a hand was placed on his head, fingers gently combing tangles out of his hair. After several more moments of silence, the second voice spoke once more, softer this time.

“He’s not just a child though, is he? You and I both know it, and they likely do as well. They just don’t know exactly what it means.”

There was a sigh, and he felt himself moving as whoever was holding him adjusted themselves. “Indeed. And if nothing else, we need to ensure that they do not find out what it means.  **They believe him a mere psychic, tainted by the blood of a demon when he was an infant. They must not learn that he is so much more than that. They must not learn that his true father is of our kind.** ”

He knew they switched to a different language. One that he had heard his guardians use before. He had never been able to understand it when they had used it.

So why was he able to understand it now?

And what did they mean by ‘His true father’?

 

* * *

 

Michael found himself in the kitchen of Gabriel’s home, his eyes closed as he listened to Gabriel and Lucifer putting Dean and Castiel to bed. The day had been trying for everyone, especially for the children. They were the ones who had discovered that Sam had been taken mere hours before after all, and from the look of the living room, the day had only continued to be difficult for them as it had gone on.

“There you are Michael,” Raphael spoke, entering the room. “There are several things that I need to discuss with you and the others, regarding Castiel, as well as one rather important thing that we need to discuss regarding Dean as soon as possible. In fact, it could easily grow to be a matter of life and death, both for him and Sam.”

That caught his attention. “Raphael, what are you talking about? What about Dean could be so drastic that it could put his life in the balance?”

Raphael seemed to struggle for a moment, and Michael stepped closer, placing a hand on his brother. “Brother, if something is putting the children in danger, we need to be able to face it as a united force. Regardless of what you tell me, I will not be upset with you for it, and I will still support Gabriel and Lucifer in their decision to raise the boys. Nothing can change that, I swear it.”

Raphael smiled weakly, clearly uncertain about whatever it was he was about to say despite Michael’s reassurances. “Throughout the day, I’ve noticed several things that are odd about Dean, and I’m afraid that there is only one explanation for it all combined. Michael, I’m almost entirely certain that-”

“MIchael, I think I know something that can help us find Sammy!” Dean shouted, running into the kitchen and bumping into Michael, almost falling over. “I remembered something, something that might help, and I really think it might work!”

Sharing a confused  glance with Raphael, Michael knelt down to be closer to eye level with Dean, looking at him closely. “What is it, Dean? Any ideas you may have would be exceptionally helpful.”

Dean took a deep breath, before beginning. “Ok, so right after my mom died, I didn’t talk for a long time, just about two years. And John would get really mad, because he thought that me not talking was causing Sammy not to talk, even though he and I still talked in our own ways, but he didn’t really talk, not even the way that he does now. But about the time he turned two, it changed.”

“How so, Dean?” Michael didn’t miss the way he only referred to his father by his name, but there wasn’t time to question it, as Dean was already speaking again.

“Sammy started picking up new words like crazy, words that I didn’t know yet, and talking about how he had this new friend that was teaching him all the words, but I was with him all the time and it was only ever just us, and I was really confused for the longest time until he drew this picture of his friend, and I figured it was just an imaginary friend, but how would some imaginary friend be able to teach him all those words? I didn't know any of them, and the TV usually didn’t work wherever we were staying that week.”

Raphael gasped, and Michael couldn't blame him. Not only was Dean giving them a closer look into his and Dean’s past, but he was also giving a large clue as to how Sam’s abilities had progressed.

But he still wasn’t done.

“The wards were always intact too, so I really did think it was an imaginary friend or something, but then things started happening. Food would show up in empty boxes that I hadn’t thrown out yet, and clothes would just clean themselves when John was gone longer, and there would be more diapers than there should’ve been in whatever box we had that week, even though I counted them every day, and I never really knew what was causing it. All of that stuff only really stopped about the time Adam was born, but I don’t know if that’s because whatever was happening stopped, or if whatever was causing all that stuff got better at hiding it, but I just know it all just kinda stopped about three weeks before John dragged us out to see Kate, but then Adam was born and Kate didn’t make it, and then we were on the road again, but I had to go to school by then, so I don’t know if anything like that stuff happened after that.”

“Dean, you mentioned that Sam would draw this individual,” Raphael cut in, gaining the attention of a softly gasping, out of breath Dean. “Do you have any of those pictures with you now? If not, do you remember what it looked like enough to draw a picture for us?” Dean paused for a moment, thinking.

Michael had to fight not to smile at his brother’s genius plan. Dean was not only getting himself off track, but also growing closer to losing consciousness from air deprivation, and by asking him to sit and think for a minute, he made him stop and breathe, and calm down.

“Maybe? I don’t know where it would be, though, because I kept all the drawings in my bag, but I don’t know if Gabe kept our bags or not when he took us with him. I can draw him for you if you make sure I won’t be sent back up by Luce and Gabe if they come down,” Dean bargained, and Michael nodded immediately.

“I am more than certain they will be willing to bend the restriction on bed time for this. Go gather your art supplies, we will wait here for you.”

Dean nodded, running back upstairs to gather what he would need. Standing once more, Michael turned to face Raphael. “Do you have any clue as to what it could have been?”

Raphael sighed, before nodding after a moment. “I am not certain yet, but I believe that the creature may be a Zanna. They are guardians, providing assistance to children who are in need. They can provide food, ensure that children are safe, and even creating illusions so that no one suspects that they are even there. But Michael, we still need to talk about-”

Dean ran back in then, holding a piece of paper tightly as he waved it towards him. “Gabe found my bag, so I have one of Sammy’s last pictures, and Gabe and Luce are looking at the rest!” he shouted, barely avoiding running into Michael’s legs as he had earlier.

“Thank you, Dean, this will help quite a lot. Why don’t you go on to bed, and we will let you know tomorrow morning what this helps us do.” Gently taking the paper from the boy, Michael was surprised when the small body crashed into him, and arms wrapped around him tightly. It had been so long since anyone had thought to hug the oldest sibling of all, but he found that he didn’t mind a single bit.

Holding the child just as firmly, Michael found that he was overcome with emotion at the casual affection that Dean was able to show, even after all he had been through. It wasn’t fair that Dean and his brothers had suffered so greatly over the course of their oh so short lives. He had to find a way to make things right.

As Dean pulled away, he gave Michael one last smile.

And the world froze.

Light. Pure, untamed light. It surrounded the boy, flowing through him, from the core of his being, and out into the world. Nothing in history had ever come so close to how pure the light of the child’s soul was. The few that ever had come within miles of such brightness had been the souls of-

No. No, it couldn’t be.

He would have seen before now. There was no way that he would have been able to hide this. It was impossible.

But there was no other way to explain it.

Dean, and likely Sam as well, was Nephil. And there was only one possibility as to who the Father was, though it hadn’t happened for him yet.

And if whoever had stolen Sam away from them were to find out, the chance of finding Sam alive would require a miracle.

 

* * *

 

Sully was a simple creature. As a Zanna, he had multiple children that he was responsible for across the world, helping them in whatever way they needed.

For some, that meant providing food that would be able to nourish them disguised as simple snacks. For others, he would help them with school problems that absent parents had no time or energy to even attempt aid with. And for a rare few, it meant he would need to find ways to assist multiple children at once, though only the one could truly know that he was there.

Sam Winchester was one of those rare children.

An incredibly strong psychic from birth, being raised from an exceptionally young age by an older brother barely old enough to be out of diapers himself, he had been one of the few that needed constant care and attention, and had gone in the history books as having been the youngest child to ever need the help that the Zanna could provide.

Angela had tried to help the older brother, but he had been forced to grow up, and held a soul far too old to be able and willing to accept help from a being that wasn’t supposed to exist, so they had been forced to assign Sully to the case, while Angela had taken many of his other assignments.

And that was one assignment that Sully would never forget.

A four year old that was already far too grown, an infant that could already detect that they weren’t alone, little food, few diapers, and no parent in sight. He had gone to work immediately, helping the food supply stretch until the boys’ father would finally show up, either to leave them a touch more food, or to move them to a new location, and sneaking more diapers into the box so that Sam wouldn’t have to sit in a dirty diaper for too long. It wasn’t a lot, but it was what he was capable of doing at the time.

It wasn’t until he saw the father strike the older boy over his silence, and the possibility that it could be affecting Sam’s development that Sully realized that certain areas of his care had been neglected in favor of making sure they would be capable of eating, or having clean clothing. And so he had thrown himself wholeheartedly into teaching Sam how to speak, though Sam had chosen to use his powers to communicate. He had seen no problems with it, as the issue had been over the lack of true communication, not his powers.

But then the second strike from father to son had occurred, and the father had taken Sam to a different motel to stay with a hunting buddy, before returning to continue what he had started. The other hunter had fed Sam, but everything that the boy had been fed was strange, smothering Sam’s innate powers and twisting them almost beyond recognition. Sully had tried to contain the corruption, but it hadn’t been enough, and Sam’s powers were forever changed.

The pattern had continued for years. Dean would do something that their father didn’t approve of, Sam would be taken away, and when they returned, Dean would be in rough shape, carefully hidden under clothing so Sam wouldn’t suspect a thing.

He had wanted to help Dean, but he was only assigned to Sam, and the council had forbidden any intervention regarding the father’s treatment of the elder boy, and as such his hands were tied.

When the youngest child, Adam, had joined the fold, he had been allowed to intervene on behalf of the infant, but he wasn’t allowed to do any more than he had when Sam had been that small, which had limited him in his ability to take care of both of the children.

When John had started trying to sell Sam to various beings, Sully had been terrified. Adam was far too young to be left by himself, and Sam was far too young to be separated from his older brother in such a way, especially since no being would ever guarantee his continued safety should they take him.

It had been nothing short of a miracle that the one being that had considered John’s offer and terms, eventually accepting them, had been an Angel. A strong one too, if they were able to disguise themselves as a Pagan for so long without having been discovered. Sully had been worried, but not as much as before. An Angel would have no reason to harm a child, even if they were as strong as Sam. The majority of his concern was left towards Dean and Adam, as he wouldn't be able to stay with them any longer, and there was still a great need for intervention and help for both children.

But then Dean had made a deal that had allowed both him and Adam to follow his brother, and Sully had reason to smile again.

He had kept watch of the children over the next few days, but had left as they were moved into an actual home. The Angel that had claimed them all had proven himself a worthy and capable guardian, and the boys were all safe at last.

With a final whisper to Sam to call to him should he ever need him, Sully had returned to the headquarters. There were always more children that would need his help.

 

* * *

 

Gabriel had known from the moment the children entered the Midsummer Hall that they were followed.

It wasn’t all that hard to figure out. He had seen countless men, women, and children that were being protected by spells, Familiars, and even Guardians formed of magic, so it wasn’t that difficult to identify most of them.

But whatever had followed the children was focused on Sam, and had left shortly after he had found the children a suitable house to live in. He had suspected it to be a form of protection that Sam had conjured in order to keep himself and his brothers safe, so at the time there had been no reason to question what it could have been. 

But now, as he was looking over the drawing that Dean had given Michael as proof of Sam’s ‘Imaginary Friend’ being more than strictly imaginary, he had to fight to keep himself from shouting.

A Zanna.

He had known that the boys’ situation had been rough. The way they reacted to certain actions, environments, and objects had made that fact abundantly clear, even if he hadn’t been told multiple explicit details by both Sam and Dean.

But for things to be so dire that a Zanna had needed to step in, and for so long? Even if Dean was right, and the creature had only appeared when Sam was two, that was still two years of active intervention. Very rarely was a situation so dire that the Zanna felt the need to stay with a single child for so long.

And yet the proof was right in front of him, with a childish drawing signed in the wandering scrawl of a child, with a more steady date beside it, in numbers too precise to be anything that Dean would have been capable of. 

_ ‘suLy anb mE’ _ The caption at the top read, a mere two inches above a rather well-done image of Sam, standing beside a sloppier, simpler image of what Gabriel could only assume was the ‘Suly’ in question, likely done by Sam, while the other part had been drawn by the creature.

He needed to summon the Zanna. A complicated enough task, made harder by the fact that Zanna did not typically allow any but their charges to see them.

But even then, there was no way to ensure that the Zanna would be able to find Sam, and if it did, there was no way of knowing if it would be able to lead anyone else to the boy.

He needed someone who could track the Zanna to wherever it would go. Someone who might be able to find Sam where even Archangels had failed.

And he knew just the pair to do both tasks.

“Lucifer, summon the Zanna. I have somewhere to be, before the night grows any older.”

Without waiting to hear any response, Gabriel took flight. He only had one chance to convince them both before the night was out, and he didn’t have a moment to waste.

Not that he doubted for a moment that they would be willing to help, but he would need them to listen first.

 

* * *

 

The child was crying again. His sobs were soft, but they were painful to hear, and heartbreaking all the same.

It was only him and the child for the time being, the other having been taken away for any ounce of knowledge he may be hiding in regards to the boy’s whimpers.

He scoffed then, pulling his so far undetected, unharmed wings around himself, fighting the urge to groom. There would be no faster way to clue them in to the fact that he was indeed an Angel than to reveal his wings, and the moment they discovered it, there truly would be no escape for him. It was bad enough they knew the other was an Angel, but he would allow them to believe him a Halfling.

Hopefully this child, a true Halfling, with such strong abilities for one so young, would be the catalyst that would lead to the freedom of them all.

He had a young one he had sworn to return to, and he fully intended to keep his promise, even if the attempt to do so would lead to his death.

“Wan…. Dee….”

The child was gasping around his tears, and a moment later, he couldn’t keep himself from lifting the small body into his arms, wrapping his wings around them both. “It’s alright Darling, you’re going to be ok. Soon enough you will be safe.  **I swear to you, I will find a way to free you, and if you have nowhere to go, you can stay with me and the one I have sworn to protect. Though he is a full Fledge, he is close to your strength, if not just a touch stronger. I have no doubts that he will accept you.** ”

“Dee..” The boy mumbled as he drew himself closer, burrowing into his chest.

He nodded, running his hands over the child’s back gently as he tried to comfort him. “ **And who is this Dee you keep mentioning Darling? A friend? Or perhaps a guardian? Speak in this way if you can, they cannot understand or force knowledge from us when we use this way of communication.”**

The child shuddered, but eventually the softest whisper escaped. While there was much to be desired of both grammar and pronunciation, it was a start. “ **Dee brother. Dee keep safe Sam.** ” He paused for a moment, before another soft whisper broke free, breaking his heart. “ **Why Sam take?** ”

With a sigh, he struggled to find the words to properly explain. “ **I am sorry Sam. My power is not my own, it belongs to the ones who first stole me from my family. They bound my strength, bound my will, and stole my power, my Grace. In doing so, if they should ever wish it, they can cause me to do things I otherwise never would. I never wished to steal you away from your home, but they made me do it, and I could not resist.”**

**“How help?”**

He chuckled at that, before shaking his head. “ **There is nothing you can do. Even if your own power were not bound and kept away from you, I do not believe you would be strong enough to help. You are but a Nestling, hardly able to gain access of your true abilities without assistance. Soon enough you will be able to stand on your own, but not for some time, and not unless we can leave this horrid place. Already, I can feel your Grace, small as it may be, hiding away for its safety, and it may not come out from where it lurks for some time after we are free.** ”

Sam pulled away a touch, his head tilted slightly to the side. “ **What mean?** ”

The door to the cell slammed open, and there was the barest glimpse of sunlight that peeked through, before one of the several women that had been tormenting the both of them entered the room, an unimpressed glare on her face.

“Enough of this. I want answers, now. And if you try to lie, or hide anything from me?” She pulled out a knife from her pocket, opening it and allowing the scant light that the single dim light bulb provided to glint off the undoubtedly sharp edge. “Well, you wouldn’t like what happens.”

He felt Sam stiffen in his arms, and tightened his wings around the child. “I already told you all I know, and he doesn’t know anything either. He’s just a child, regardless of what other abilities he may have.”

The woman sighed, shaking her head as she clicked her tongue as one would towards a child. “Already with the lying. It seems that you will never learn.” Closing the knife, she placed it back in her pocket, before pulling out something that appeared to be a thin pen. “Perhaps threatening you will not provide the results I need. It seems a different type of persuasion is needed.” Slowly walking closer, she continued. “What I have in my hand is a small syringe holding five milliliters of blood of a demonic origin. You will answer my questions, or I will inject him with the contents, no matter what it may do to his body.”

He flinched, and Sam gasped, before tugging on his shirt. “ **Let happen, have plan!** ” he whispered, and the woman groaned.

“Of course he would know that damn babbling. Tell me what he said, now.”

He was torn. Sam promised he had a plan, and was obviously smart by how his speech had progressed over mere minutes, but at the same time, he had no way of knowing how any amount of Demon Blood would affect a Nephil, and time was counting down before the choice would be made for him.

As the woman grew more agitated, he cried out as his own Grace was used against him, sending uncontrollable pain through his body. “He said that he wants to go home!” he gasped, fighting to not harm Sam as his muscles began to spasm out of control.

The woman glared, kneeling next to them both. “For some reason, I don’t believe you.”

She stabbed the syringe into Sam’s arm, and within moments was backing away in fear. “No, there’s no way that this should happen, the mark was flawless!” she shouted, running towards the door, only to freeze when the lock turned with a loud click.

“Told you….. once…. Told…. twice. Now tell again.” A soft voice echoed through the room, and he finally gained enough control over his body to be able to see Sam standing in the center, a harsh glow surrounding his body, growing stronger, brighter, and warmer with every instant. “GO TO HELL!”

With that final shout, the world caught fire.

 

* * *

 

Two figures walked along the side of an abandoned road, talking softly in a language few knew anymore.

They both paused after some time, turning to face an empty field moments before an explosion destroyed the surrounding area.

As the explosion progressed, a wave of pure energy, tainted with pain and suffering burst out from it. Energy from a being, likely young, and having been subjected to unimaginable torment before they had had enough, and their power had taken them over, destroying all who had harmed them.

The pair looked at each other for a brief moment, before shifting and running towards the smoldering wreckage.

If whoever had caused the explosion was still alive, they would bring them to their father.

He would know what to do.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SUMMARY OF LAST CHAPTER:
> 
> While Michael and the others fight to find Sam, and the ones who have stolen him away, an important discovery is made regarding the parentage of Dean. He is Nephil, and almost impossibly, Michael is the father. The same is likely for Sam, but without his presence in the home, it would be near impossible to confirm it. Sully has a look back at one of the hardest cases he has ever been assigned to, contemplating the difficult years between the fire that had killed Mary, leading up to the night that the boys went to live with Gabriel. And finally, Sam bonds with the one who kidnapped him, learning that he was being controlled by the ones holding them captive. Before he can learn more however, his powers are thrown into a complete overload, causing an explosion that destroys the prison he is held in.
> 
> WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER:
> 
> Mentions of past torture, mentions of past harm to a child, and a very brief episode of anxiety.
> 
> Alright, we're getting pretty close to the end here, both for the fic, and the series as a whole, for the time being at least. There's at least a few more chapters here, and a final fic or two, and that'll be it. I'm not going to just leave this alone forever though, I just need a break from this for a bit, and there's not a lot left that I can really do with the kiddos being as young as they are.
> 
> At any rate, I hope you enjoy, and I look forward to seeing what you all think.

He could barely fly anymore, but he needed to in order to keep himself, his younger brother, and the near infantile Grace-Soul of the child safe from further harm. There weren’t many places that he could go with his wings in as terrible condition as they were, but there was one place he knew he could reach, regardless of the distance, or how weak he was.

Even if he wasn’t welcomed back, he knew that the best chance he had of survival would depend on his speed in arriving. Though from the tales that his younger brother had told of the torment that his charge had faced, it was more than clear that things had changed since the time he had last been-

The boy’s breathing picked up softly, and his power spread out weakly as the young child tried his hardest to be aware of what was going on around him.

Adjusting his hold on the child, he ensured that he would drop neither the boy or his younger brother, before leaning his head on the top of the boy’s scalp, pressing a gentle kiss into his hair. “It is not much farther now Little Light, and we will be safe. Once we arrive, we will be free, and no one will ever hurt any of us again. My older brothers will ensure it.”

It had been so long since he had seen any of his brothers. He had been abandoned, injured and unable to fly, so soon after the Final Battle, and had lived for nearly a thousand years peacefully. Well, until he was lured in with promises of information that would potentially lead to the health and restoration of his wings, and held hostage as little more than a power supply and occasional test subject when they would get tired of civility.

The only positive contact he had had with another living being in nearly a century had been Balthazar, who had been held captive with him the past several months. He had only wanted to find a safe place to raise a fledgling he had found, all alone, with no one caring for it, and even worse, he suspected that several of higher standing had caused harm to the Fledgling.

That had been a shock, far beyond any other information that Balthazar had shared with him.  Father, creating new Fledglings again? And for someone to harm one, merely for the fact that he was different from them, and created as an individual, not part of a flock? Truly, something strange was happening in his home, but he knew of no other place where they all could recover in safety.

But if there were those who saw fit to harm others, even in such a sacred and holy place, he knew of only one place where no one would dare go, where no one would think to search for them. A place where only He, those who were assigned, and those He allowed could enter, especially after-

He landed with a great crash, sacrificing his hold on Balthazar in order to keep from dropping the child. He prayed desperately to Father that no one would try and enter, as his wings were now well and truly shredded, and he would not be able to get himself away, even if he didn't have hold on an infantile Halfling and wounded Seraph to protect.

Despite all that had been done to him however, it was not long before he could feel the Grace of Father filling him once more. It was so slow, almost to a painful extent, but it was a relief to finally be able to feel things the way he was created to, and to hear the communication that his siblings were partaking in. It had been so long since he had heard any of their voices, and was so overwhelmed by it all, it took several minutes to identify even the slightest amount of what they were saying.

**“Still can't find-”**

**“-strange Grace”**

**“Did Father create another?”**

**“Where are they?”**

There was nothing but chaos in the usual communication channels, and the private channels he had used with the siblings he was closest to had been blocked off, likely since soon after he had first been declared to be missing. But it was likely for the best, considering he had no idea who he could trust anymore. There were few that were likely to think of searching the area he had chosen to hide in, but if any who he used to be close to were to discover that he had returned, they would immediately think to search here.

Well, if they searched long enough, someone would think to try here. But for now, all was quiet and calm, and he could rest and begin to recover from the time he had spent a prisoner. Once he was stronger, he would begin helping his brother, and this new youngling that had landed in their laps.

 

* * *

 

It was nearly dawn before Michael felt confident enough in his younger brothers’ mental states to leave to investigate the pure chaos that had descended upon Heaven. Very shortly after the explosion that Dean was certain had something to do with Sam, nearly every channel of communication between various ranks of Angels had been flooded with seemingly endless questions, and no small amount of fear.

Some unknown being, or beings, had appeared somewhere in Heaven, and there were very few places that they could hide. Of course, those few places were areas that most did not have access to, such as the Archangels’ Private Garden, where nearly any could enter, as long as they were invited of course, the Prisons, where few were taken if they had deviated so far from Father’s path that they saw fit to harm another, and Father’s Throne, Workshop, and Private Library, where even the Archangels themselves had once needed permission to enter. 

Not that Michael or Raphael had found any reason to attempt to enter those rooms after Father had left.

But the knowledge of such an occurrence getting to the masses would cause such chaos, he had chosen to hide it from them. It was likely that only the remnants of Gabriel’s Information Network held any inkling of suspicion as to why their Father hasn’t been seen in so long, but even so, he held the information deep inside.

There was no need to cause more siblings to wonder why their Father had abandoned them. No need to have so many more question if there was anything they could have done differently to convince Father to stay. No need to have his younger siblings know just how hard he fought to remain strong for all of their sakes.

He landed in the main hall, and was almost immediately pulled off to the side by Etheriel, who looked stressed beyond belief. “Michael, we need permission to enter your Garden to search there for whatever has entered our home, and you need to search in The Garden in case it found its way there.”

Michael stiffened, leaning close to her as he whispered. “The moment anything enters the Archangel Garden, one of us knows. Nothing has entered there uninvited since the days you and your generation would attempt to sneak in as Fledglings before The Fall. Whatever has invaded our home, they have not found their refuge there. Is there anywhere else they could be, any single corner where they would have hidden?”

Before Etheriel could answer however, another Angel with bright purple and orange spiked hair ran up, eyes wide with far too many emotions to name. “Michael, my name is Sheoriel, I’m with the Network. My group was assigned to search the Prisons. Sir, we found something you really need to see, before you can look into the Intruder.”

Tilting his head to the side, Michael frowned. “What do you mean? Surely we should focus our efforts on finding whoever has invaded our home.”

“That may be, but whoever they may be, they aren’t moving. But before one can stop someone from entering their home, they must first stop those inside from potentially opening the door.”

“What do you….” He trailed off, frown deepening as he was led in the general direction of the  the Prisons, but not quite along the right paths. The area was still close enough to the dark and feared place that was the Prisons though, that it was all but abandoned save for a small building of pure white, standing out from all else in the otherwise forested area.

Sheoriel drew close, kneeling down as he crept closer to the strange building. “I found it earlier,  when I was looking for the intruder. Or some food. Either way, I’ve never seen it before, at least I don’t think I have.” He shrugged, turning back to face Michael. “The whole place’s dripping in Grace, and it doesn’t say anything good about whatever made it all seep into the walls the way it did.”

It was easy to see what the Angel was talking about. Grace from hundreds, if not thousands of Angels was radiating from the structure, tainted beyond recognition by pain and suffering, the likes of which had no place being found anywhere within Heaven.

“Has anyone been spotted entering or exiting?” He asked, the bright hair of the younger Angel shifting as he shook his head quickly.

“Nope. No one coming or going, unless they managed to slip past while I was getting you. But that’s not my problem. You needed to know, and now you do. I’m off to check out the Prisons. Have fun.”

And with that, Michael was alone, with a mystery far beyond any he expected to solve, right within his home. He couldn’t sense anyone within the walls of the strange building, but that meant nothing with how much tainted Grace radiated from within. But he had to know what was within, and now was as good a time as any. The Intruder was staying put for the time being, and had done no harm to either where they were, or anyone who had come too close, and that was enough.

His mind made up, Michael drew his sword from the dimension he usually kept it hidden, and pushed open the door to the small building, freezing as his worst fears were all confirmed all at once.

The scene in front of him was horrifying. Blood coated the walls and floors, even reaching to the ceiling in some areas. Signs of suffering and torment were more than clear to see, even if the instruments to cause such pain weren’t abandoned across the edges of the room, likely forgotten in the culprit’s haste to leave undetected.

“Who did this? Where are they?” He whispered to himself, but it was difficult to pick up any specific Grace Signatures, there were just too many that had been harmed in this room- No, this was no room. This was a torture chamber, equal to any that could be found within the deepest, darkest depths of Hell itself.

Wait, there was a Signature he could detect, far more concentrated than the rest. But as he knelt to analyze it, his frown grew deeper and deeper as he realized that he knew the Angel that this Signature belonged to. But why would that Angel’s Signature be here? There was no reason for him to be anywhere near this place! Unless-

He needed to solve the mystery of the Intruder quickly, and return to Gabriel’s home as soon as was possible. He had questions that could only be answered by one, and he hoped that he would be in a proper state to be able to help him.

But for the time being, he called Raphael to himself, needing all the help in identifying the various Signatures as he could get, and Gabriel and Lucifer could stay behind and watch the children. He knew that it would be for the best that as many were with the children as possible, but at the same time, there was work to be done, and not much time to do it in. He did not wish to risk the possibility of anyone else being harmed while he stood idly by.

 

* * *

 

He leaned against the door post, waiting for the occupant inside to open the door and let him in. He had been invited, so why wasn’t anyone letting him in?

Well, it was more that he was hired to babysit, but the point remained that he needed to be let in, or he would have to get creative. And while he knew his dad wouldn’t be too mad if he had to get creative, he really didn't want to scare any kids today.

Finally, almost ten minutes after he had first rung the doorbell, the door opened, a small boy with dark hair peeking through the crack. “Who are you?” The boy asked, and he smiled, kneeling down to be on level with the child.

“Hey kiddo, your guardian Gabriel asked me to keep an eye on you and your friends. Can you let me in?” He asked, watching as the boy thought his request over. 

“Gabe asked you to come? How can I know you’re telling the truth? For all I know you could-” The boy cut off as the sound of a baby crying cut through the area loudly, the frustrated groan of another child not far behind.

Knowing that he was needed, he relented. “My name is Fenrir, Gabriel is my father. You must be Castiel, so I assume that the two upstairs are Dean and Adam, correct?”

The child looked at him for a moment, before nodding, opening the door enough to let Fenrir in. “Dean needs help. I can’t go up there. Too loud.” Seeing him get more and more agitated, Fenrir nodded, walking past him and towards the stairs.

“That’s alright Little Bird. You just worry about staying comfortable, and I’ll help your friend upstairs. Sounds like he needs someone to take over being the older brother for a little bit.” Waving the young one towards the living room, where he could see a multitude of soft things that could help distract him from the noise, Fenrir started up the stairs.

Looking at the various pictures covering the walls all along the stairs and hallway, Fenrir found himself smirking as he saw hundreds of pictures of his father’s new foundlings interspaced with the occasional image of him and his siblings. Had he been younger, he may have been jealous from the clear overabundance of affection that Gabriel showed towards the children, but he knew better than any that his father only actively took in the hardest of cases, and the children had certainly been in desperate need of his care.

As he walked closer to the room where Dean was, not only did the cries of the infant grow louder, but he could detect a softer set of sobs, breaking apart the words whispered from a child who had clearly been through far too much in too short a time.

“You were- were fed, you- were burped, changed, and- and you’re still crying! What else- What do you want?” The boy was pleading for even the shortest reprieve from his stress, and Fenrir couldn’t stand to listen any longer.

Quietly opening the door to the room, his heart broke at the sight of the young boy hunched over a crying infant, his shoulders shaking harshly as he lost control over his emotions.

Moving swiftly to sit next to the boy, he placed a gently hand on his shoulder. “How long has he been crying?” He asked, voice soft in an attempt to comfort him.

Sniffling, Dean looked up, face stained with tears. “He- He started an hour ago, and he won’t stop! I’ve done everything I can think of, and he’s still crying!”

Fenrir nodded, reaching towards the sobbing infant. “May I see him? I might be able to try some things that you haven’t thought of, not that you haven’t done a good job this far.” Dean nodded quickly, leaning against a large white dog that Fenrir hadn’t noticed before, raising Adam to be more easier for Fenrir to take. Holding the small child close, he ran a hand through Dean’s hair. “Alright. Just to clarify, you’ve already tried feeding him, changing him, and he’s still crying?”

Dean nodded, burying his face in the dog’s neck. With a sigh, Fenrir lifted Adam to a sitting position, letting the child grab onto the hand not holding him up. “Alright Pup, what’s wrong? What has you so upset that you can’t calm down?” He asked, frowning ever so slightly at the soft heat radiating from the boy’s small body. A slight fever, and it was likely he had a headache from the crying as well. But Adam was also holding his fist up near his mouth and drooling, and Fenrir remembered his father telling him the ages of the humans that made up the majority of his new group of Foundlings. Eight and a half, four, and six months at the time of the Midsummer Solstice. The Fledgling’s age was harder to pin down, but he was somewhere equivalent to within a few years of Dean. Regardless of Castiel’s age though, that would put Adam at ten to eleven months, as the Winter Solstice would be coming soon. It was a tad early, but all the signs seemed to point towards the child teething.

Now knowing the reason why Adam was crying with no end in sight, Fenrir gently moved the hand that Adam was holding onto, gently working a finger into his mouth and massaging the heated gums, unfazed by either the drool that quickly covered his hand, or the child’s soft nibbles as he sought relief from the pain. “There we are, this is exactly what you needed, isn’t it? Yes, I know Pup, those mean teeth are hurting you aren’t they, putting so much pressure on your gums, and giving you a headache. You really stressed your brother out today Pup, so I’m guessing you don’t really know words yet, or maybe you’re just not ready for words yet. You’re still a tad young yet for words, so I guess just telling him what your problems are isn’t an option yet. Don’t worry, you’ve got plenty of time in the future for annoying your siblings with your words.” He kept up a stream of words as Adam slowly began to calm, Dean’s breathing slowing in the background as well.

A soft shuffling sounded, and Dean slowly sat up, moving closer to Fenrir and leaning against him as he yawned. “How’d you do that?” He asked, eyes falling closed and taking longer to open back every time.

Scooting back to lean against the wall, Fenrir pulled Dean closer, covering the boy with one of the blankets laying across the bed. “Sometimes, no matter how long you’ve taken care of someone, there are certain things that you just can’t see. It’s nothing against you, or anyone else in the same situation, but sometimes you just get too tired to be able to analyze things the way you need to. It happens to everyone sometimes, no matter what they’re going through.” As Dean grabbed at his shirt in an attempt to get comfortable, he sighed softly. “You should get some sleep Dean. I can take care of Adam for a while while you sleep.”

Dean shook his head, though he was too tired to truly fight back. “No, I gotta take care of him, Dad said-”

“I have taken care of multiple children in the past years, including children as young as Adam. You need to focus on yourself before you can take care of others, especially in a stressful situation. All I ask is that you rest, even if it’s just for a few hours. I promise I can wake you should anything happen, if that’s what you wish.”

Dean rather visibly was struggling for a moment, until Adam tumbled from where he was sitting, babbling softly as he crawled atop the boy. “Adam, no, you’re squishing me!” Dean gasped, but Adam wasn’t swayed, sitting in the center of Dean’s chest before placing his drool covered hands on Dean’s face, barely avoiding falling over once more.

“Eee!”

Dean gasped, sitting up carefully as he stared at Adam in shock. “What? Adam, what did you say?”

“Duh, Duh!”

Fenrir laughed, smiling widely. “Sounds like someone’s trying to say his first word, and your name’s what he wants to say.”

Dean’s eyes filled once more, and he smiled as well, grabbing onto Adam’s hands excitedly. “Come on, say it again Adam! You can do it!”

“Duh-ee!”

As Dean laughed, and Adam beamed, saying his older brother’s name over and over again, Fenrir knew that the kids would be alright. There was obviously still plenty of trauma for Dean to work through, and he would clearly need plenty of support as time went on, but for the time being, everything would be alright.

Now then, what was there to eat in this place? Dean deserved some kind of treat for being as brave as he had, and Adam and Castiel could probably go for a snack as well.

 

* * *

 

He was really tired and sore. He wanted to go home. He wanted to be with his brothers, and have his moose, and his puppy, and to snuggle with Gabe and Luci and Cas and sleep for a month.

He was being held, probably by the person who was with the one who had stolen him, and he was whispering softly as he ran a hand through his hair in that strange language from before.

**“Hush Little One, no one can harm us any more. We are in a place where you can be safe, and grow to be strong.”**

But that didn’t make sense, he didn’t know where he was, and he wasn’t home, so how could he be somewhere safe? He wasn’t safe, he was never safe unless he was with his brother. His brother could keep him safe no matter what happened. He always did.

But wherever he was, there was no way his brother could reach him here. He was just too far away, and no matter how much he wanted him, he couldn't have his brother for the time being.

There was one person though, that could find him wherever he was. But how would he be able to let him know that he needed him? Maybe if he called him, he would come and help him?

Reaching deep inside for the connection that had existed for as long as he could remember, he found it with little difficulty, and pulled on it as hard as he could, begging the one on the other end to come to him as fast as possible.

He could feel the one holding him struggle to stop him, but it was too late. Already he could feel the one he was connected to drawing nearer, until the one holding him stiffened with fear, backing away as much as he was able.

He could hear the one he called speaking softly, and he fought hard, finally able to open his eyes the smallest amount, vision going blurry as he caught sight of one that he had longed to see for so long, through so much pain, though it had only been a handful of hours since the last time he had seen him.

“Lu-”

He was quieted then, lifted from the arms of the one who had carried him from his torment, and into the arms that had finally enforced the idea of safety and home.

“Hey there Sammy. You ready to go home?”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I know it's a short chapter, but other projects have taken over my life along with insanity at work, and I figure that this is better than nothing. we've still got a few more chapters to go, but it should be generally safe from here on out in regards to warnings. Everything should be fairly canon typical, but if you see anything that needs extra warnings, just let me know, and I'll add it in.

The scene before Lucifer was confusing to say the least. Two Angels, one that had not been seen since shortly after the Final Battle, and one who had left to find somewhere safe for a Fledgling, both found safe at last within the Garden where all of Father's creations had been formed. What's more, they were both severely injured, one unconscious, and the other holding a small Halfling, fighting to protect the defenseless child even though he could barely stand.

His heart ached for the pure fear that the Angel was showing so strongly, and he knelt down, hands open in front of him to show he held no weapons.

“It is alright, I am not here to harm you, or either of those with you. You are safe here, I swear it.” He tried to reassure the Angel, longing to comfort him even as he backed away further in fear.

“How can I know that to be true? You were the one who decimated the peace, the one who led those who abandoned me upon the Earth with broken wings, unable to cry for help, unable to return to my home! You tricked me, you are the reason I am broken!”

He flinched at the Angels words, unable to refute any of them. It was all true, after all, and now he would have to face judgement for the worst crime he had committed. “I am aware of all my crimes, and I am aware of the guilt I carry for them all. I know that I may never be worthy of your forgiveness, and I ask not for it. But what I do ask is this, allow me to comfort Sam, the Halfling you hold. He was stolen from his family, and I wish only to return him to the brother he was taken from.”

The Angel seemed to consider his words for a time, but the decision was made by neither of them, as Sam opened his eyes slowly, looking around until he caught sight of Lucifer.

What happened next shocked Lucifer to the core of his being. Sam moved to start reaching towards him, whispering softly as he did so.

“Lu…”

Paying no heed to the Angel holding Sam, he rushed to be closer to Sam, gently picking him up from the arms of the Angel even as he protested. Staying right next to the Angel, he held Sam close, fighting back tears of  relief as he thanked his Father for allowing him to hold the boy in his arms once more. “Hey there Sammy. You ready to go home?” He could feel Sam nodding, the fabric of his shirt growing damp as the boy cried.

Looking back to the Angel who had brought Sam back to him, Lucifer finally allowed his tears to begin to fall, his head bowed in thanks. “Gadreel, there are no words in any language, whether found upon the Earth or of Angelic nature, that han say how sorry I am for what was done to you, for what  _ I _ did to you.” He paused then, taking a moment to simply hold Sam, watching a previously unseen, unknown connection that had always tied them together, even as he had been locked away, watching as it awoke, allowing him to see Sam’s exact position, as well as every detail of his health. There was much that had been done to harm the child, both in body and in power, but none so significant as the clear marks of protection that were linked to both of the Angels in the Garden, who had been bound and imprisoned along with Sam.

Looking up at Gadreel, he ignored the shock that painted the Angel’s whole being. “But for as hard as it would be to find any words to say how sorry I am, It would be near impossible to find any words to tell how thankful I am for you bringing Sam to safety, and for what you and the other have done to protect him from the ones that had already brought so much harm upon you. I am eternally in your debt, for you have done what few could ever find the strength to do.”

Gadreel began to tremble, shaking his head even as Lucifer spoke. “I- I only did what any would do to protect a Fledgling. You owe me nothing” He protested, and Lucifer reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“No Gadreel, you were willing to sacrifice your very being to aid in carrying Sam from the prison. Your wings are in ruin, and your Grace is almost depleted. You were ready to lay down your life for the protection of a Nephil. A Nephil, who impossibly, is born of my Grace, though I have never lain with another. Very few would risk their being to save a Nephil, and even fewer would feel the compassion needed to protect a Nephil born of me. And for that I owe you everything.”

Gadreel seemed overwhelmed at that, leaning in for a hug as he began to cry. Feeling pity for his brother, Lucifer adjusted his hold on Sam, pulling the one he had so horribly wronged close. 

Closing his eyes, he reached out, calling out along the channel all the Archangels shared.  _ “Raphael, I have need of you. I found Sam, and there are two Angels who are badly injured with him.” _

There was sharp surprise filling the connection, before Raphael finally responded.  _ “I will be there as soon as I am able. But Lucifer, how are you…?” _

_ “I know not. There will be time enough to question once we have made sure that they are all safe.” _

_ “Be on guard Brother, there is much at play here that makes little to no sense, and I fear that even our home is not safe. I will explain when I come.” _

Looking down at the now sleeping Gadreel, as well as Sam, who had once more fallen unconscious, Lucifer nodded, though he knew it would be unseen to Raphael.  _ “Take your time. They are all resting for the moment, and I believe that it would be best for them to remain calm for as long as possible.” _

Ending the connection, Lucifer made himself comfortable amongst the calm of the Garden he had once caused so much chaos in. He had never in his life imagined that he would be able to return to his home in any capacity, and never even thought he would ever again see this Garden in anywhere but a dream, and yet here he was, at the summons of a child who was impossibly his.

He knew that he needed to let Gabriel know that he had found Sam, that the boy was alright for the most part, that Sam was safe, but he selfishly wanted to keep the child to himself.  He had no idea how to react to any of what had happened the past twenty-four hours, and it was clear that they all had a long road ahead of them before this event would be put behind them. , but for now, he was at peace.

 

* * *

 

It wasn't often that Fenrir and his siblings were asked to watch over and guard their father's Foundlings, but desperate times had more than warranted their intervention. He could feel Jormungandr nearby, keeping watch over the neighborhood as they all rested, and Hela was investigating the ruin of the explosion with father, leaving none but him present to calm the children, and help them feel safe, though the world around them was chaotic.

Both Dean and Castiel were sitting on the couch, a carefully selected array of snack foods before them, and a cartoon playing quietly on the television. Dean was barely awake still, leaning heavily on Castiel’s shoulder while the Fledgling carefully tucked a soft blanket around the boy.

Kneeling on the floor in front of Castiel, Fenrir spoke softly, careful to keep his tone even. “Are you going to be ok if he sleeps on you, or do you want me to try to move him?”

Castiel shook his head, smiling softly as he continued to make sure the blanket was exactly as he wanted it to be. “He’s fine, I like when he sleeps on me. It feels really good.”

Nodding, Fenrir adjusted how he was sitting, making himself more comfortable. “What about it feels good? Is it the weight, how he lays, maybe the feel of his heart beating, and his lungs filling, proving he is still alive, even after all he has suffered? Or is it something else?”

With a careful shrug, the Fledgling finally finished messing with the blanket, turning his attention past Fenrir and towards the cartoon once more. “Don’t know. I just like it. Is that bad?” It was clear that the youngling was nervous, though he wasn’t showing it, and that was more than enough to send Fenrir into a protective frenzy.

“Of course not Little Bird, there is nothing wrong with liking things, especially if they make you feel as happy as this obviously does. I merely wanted to get to know you a bit better, and one of the easiest ways to do so is to allow each person involved in the conversation to explain their parts in their own words, at their own pace.”

Castiel was quiet for a time, but the drumming of his fingers told him that he was thinking. By the time most of the cartoon had passed, the Fledgling was talking again. “What’s your family like? I know that the humans have said certain things in their mythologies, but I want to know the truth.”

With a soft smile, Fenrir leaned back, watching the show as the figures on the show learned the truth behind the strange events in the episode.. “Well, to tell you the entire truth would take far too long, but I can at least tell you a little about myself and my siblings.” Grabbing a soft plush wolf off the floor, he began.

“I am the second of four children born to our father, though our family is rather large. My brothers and I are all shapeshifters, and Hela, our sister, is even queen over the Realm of the Dead. It is not that often, but our father, Gabriel as you know him, takes in children who have need of him and his skills, or even his protection. The first two he took in were a pair of brothers that were cast out from their homes when they began to show signs of magical talent. Though they had many trials throughout their lives, they grew to be highly skilled mages. Perhaps you may meet them in the future, as they still come to visit father from time to time. Many of his Foundlings do.”

Castiel’s head tilted slightly, and his gaze shifted from the ending cartoon, coming to a rest at the collar of Fenrir’s jacket. “Do you think that Sam and Dean will one day be like those two boys, growing to be strong even through their suffering?”

Carefully lifting a hand to rest atop Castiel’s knee, Fenrir nodded as he carried on. “I do. There is nothing in the world that can stop any of you once you set your minds to something, regardless of what that thing is. No matter the hardship, no matter the trial, there is nothing that any of you cannot do.”

Castiel smiled softly at that, turning away to lean his head on top of Dean’s. “Say it again for him. He doesn’t listen easy, and he needs to hear it.”

Fenrir nodded, before standing. “I will, and I promise you today that I will repeat it as much as he needs. I may not know the exact circumstances that have led to you all coming to live here, but I know enough about those that father takes in to know that you all have faced many trials, especially Dean, though he may not wish to admit it. I know how hard it is for older brothers to admit that we get hurt by words just as much as our younger brothers do. We are always trying to be strong, and to protect our siblings, but it is hard to admit that we wish for protection just as much as our siblings do.”

In the corner of the room, Adam was crawling away from the soft blanket he had been sat upon. Fenrir watched as the child slowly drew closer, before using the table to pull himself up to where he was standing. “And just what do you think you're doing Pup?” He mused softly, y, keeping a close eye on him as he tried to reach for some of the snacks that lay just out of his reach.

Quickly moving over to grab the wayward pup, Fenrir scooped him up, carrying him into the kitchen. “That’s more than enough of that Pup, let’s see what Dad has in the kitchen that’s safe for you to eat. I’m certain that there’s more than enough for everyone to eat.”

There was still much to be done before anything could be considered to be anywhere near ok for any of the children, and Fenrir knew that. Between the sheer amounts of trauma that each of them had locked away where they thought no one would find it, and the constant danger they were thrust into, regardless of his father’s best efforts to help protect them, it was amazing that they were as stable as they were. 

He and his siblings had intended to stay distant, and not approach the children until the Winter Solstice, but the kidnapping of Samuel had forced them all to act. There was no telling what the future would hold for any of them, but he was more than certain that they all would come to the aid of their newest siblings the moment it was needed.

They all owed it to the children in order to ensure that their lives were vastly improved from how it had been before.

 

* * *

 

Dean and Castiel were asleep on the couch. They had been for a while by the time Gabriel finally made it back to the house, if the numerous blankets surrounding both of them on the couch were any indication. He could hear Fenrir upstairs, walking around the boy’s room and talking softly. He was likely trying to keep Adam quiet so as not to bother the two sleeping downstairs, so after watching the boys sleep for a moment longer, he quietly climbed the stairs to check up on his second eldest child.

He paused outside the door to the room all the children shared, watching Fenrir as he sang quietly, his voice soft and soothing for the baby in his arms. “ _ When the last moon is cast, over the last star of morning, and the future has past, without even the last desperate warning, then look into the sky where through, the clouds a path is torn, look and see her how she sparkles, it’s the last unicorn! I’m alive! I’m alive….. _ ” Adam was cooing softly, reaching up to grab at Fenrir’s chin as he finished singing. The shapeshifter laughed quietly then, adjusting his hold on the boy as he moved to sit down. “At least someone in this family appreciates my singing.”

“I don’t know Fen, you still sound like a dying  hound to me.” He joked, pushing off the door frame as he moved to sit next to his son. “Sorry I had to leave without warning, but-”

“It’s fine Dad, I get it. We all do. Just tell me that you and Hela found and took care of everyone involved in the mess, because if you let any of them go-” Fenrir cut himself off then, fighting to keep from growling and disturbing the child in his arms.

Gabriel sighed then, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder. “I know you’re upset. We all are, and our anger is fully justified. But you need to control your anger, and not allow it to control you, the same as your siblings. You know how precarious our standing with Odin is, and how easy it would be to shatter it all. And if we want to finish what Sam started, we need to be careful about it.”

Fenrir looked at him in shock, quiet for a moment before he finally found the words he seemed to be looking for. “Dean was right? Sam was the cause of last night’s disturbance?” He took a shaky breath, before letting it out slowly. “Pup has more power in him than any of us expected.”

Gabriel sighed before nodding, his voice thick with emotion as he spoke once more. “Yeah, the kid’s a powerhouse alright. Lucifer has him safe up top in Dad’s favorite Garden, and Raphael should be on his way soon to make sure that he’s alright, and I’m going to be joining them here in a minute. Will you and your siblings be willing to keep watching them if I’m not back by morning? They do have a babysitter that might come by about 10, but I don’t know if she’ll actually stop by, and neither of the boys need to be alone, especially when we don’t know exactly who took Sammy, or how many of them are left, and-”

“Dad, chill. We’ll be fine watching them. Yeah, it’s been a little while since we’ve actually babysat any of the kids you picked up, but Vali and Narfi turned out alright, didn’t they?”

At his son’s words, Gabriel glared. “It was almost three months before either of them would shift out of their wolf form, thanks to you. Their mother was furious!”

Fenrir just grinned, adjusting his hold on Adam, who seemed more than willing to try and fall to the floor. “I’ll have you know that I had nothing to do with that particular event. That was all on Hela, and she got away with it for centuries.”

Gabriel wanted to continue the banter with his son, but they both knew that his time was short. He needed to check on Sam, and make sure that there was no doubt in the boy’s mind that he was loved,, and that whoever had taken him would pay for their sins.

He pulled his boys into a firm hug, giving Adam a kiss on the top of his little head before spreading his wings and flying to the place he had once called his home.

He had a kid to collect.

 

* * *

 

He stood outside. The one to avoid was upstairs with the infant, and the Target was downstairs in the gathering room. The Target was with another.

Target is with a Halfling.

One must not suffer the Abominations that are Halflings to live.

Objective updated.

Objective: Kill the Target.

Secondary Objective: Kill the Halfling.

Do not be spotted. Do not be captured. Do not allow Target to live. Do not allow Halfling to live. Report back to Commanding Officer upon Mission Success.

End self if captured or Mission Failure.

Samandriel began to walk towards the house. His blade held firmly in hand as he caused the door to open silently.

The soft lights and tasteful decorations did nothing for him, and the quiet sounds of people talking on a television served as nothing but something to dampen the sound as he moved to accomplish his Mission.

The Target and Halfling were laying together on a couch, sleeping deeply. That would make it more likely that he would be able to complete the Mission and leave undetected.

He crossed the room with silent steps, uncaring of the numerous pillows and blankets he trampled. If nothing else, it helped to even better mask the sound of his steps.

Standing over the Target and the Halfling, he watched them for a moment. This was the one that had brought the entire operation to the ground, the one who had stopped Heaven from what it was truly meant to be. That he would be able to destroy an Abomination would make the Mission all the more successful.

Without any more hesitation, he raised his blade, ready to deal the blows that would allow things be as they should have always been.

Except that a hand grabbed his wrist.

He fought to break free of the grasp, but he just wasn’t strong enough. As a final effort to protect the cause, he summoned his blade to his other hand, aiming for his Core, but that hand was restrained as well, blade falling to the ground and vanishing to a place he could not sense it anymore.

He fought against the one holding him, kicking and screaming, but all was for naught. the Target and Halfling had awoken, and had seen him. He had been Captured. He was not able to end himself. He was a failure to the cause.

All he could hope is that they would kill him, so that no word of his failure could return to his Commander. She had spared him once, and she had made it clear that she would not spare him again.

He continued to fight, even as he was dragged into a dark room in the basement of the home, and locked with chains that blocked him using his Grace.

As the door swung closed, plunging him into darkness, he fought even harder still, but to no avail. He could not free himself from the chains. He could not open the door. He could not escape. He was in far more danger than he had ever been in before, and could only hope that his captors would end his life so that he may be free.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda short, but other projects are really stealing my time. Either way, I hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think in the comments!

Dean needed to get down to the basement. The Angel or whatever that wanted to kill him and Cas was down there, and he needed to know why, and if there were any more coming after them so he could protect Cas. But the guy that Fenrir had called his brother was standing in front of the door, and wasn’t moving at all, no matter how much he glared. In fact, Dean was pretty sure that the guy was smiling!

And who was that lady that came in after that Angel tried to kill them? Fenrir knew her, and that probably meant she was safe, but that didn’t mean that he wanted her to hold his baby brother!

And Fenrir had left, something about finding Gabe and getting him to come back quick, so he couldn’t even play to Fen’s pretty obvious soft spot he had for him. And to top it all off, Cas had stolen Sigurd and hidden in their room away from everyone else, and wouldn’t even let Dean in.

Nothing about today was fair.

There was a soft laugh then, and the lady put Adam into his highchair before waving Dean closer. “Jorm, I am taking him to see the one who attacked him.”

Dean stared at the lady in shock, before rushing to keep up with her as she walked down into the basement without checking to make sure he was behind her. He wasn’t being left behind now, after all the time spent glaring at the guy! And he knew it was childish, but as he passed the guy, he made sure to stick his tongue out at him. That would teach him not to mess with Dean Winchester!

He nearly tripped and fell when the lady stopped at the bottom of the stairs, turning around and startling him. She reached out and placed a hand on his cheek, smiling softly as she began to speak.

“Now, I know that you feel as if you must protect your family. I understand completely, even admire it to an extent. But I do feel the need to warn you; whatever awaits on the other side of this doorway may shock you, and may very well scare you. Something has been done to him, and I am not certain as to what at this point in time. But even so, I can promise you this. There is nothing that he can do that will cause harm to you or your brothers, and there is nothing he can do to free himself.”

Looking up slightly to meet her eyes, Dean nodded. This wouldn’t be the first time he was going to interrogate someone, or even the first time he was going to face someone who had tried to hurt him or his brothers. He could handle it.

A moment passed in silence, before she moved her hand to hold onto his, leading him towards a door that he had never seen before, hidden behind several boxes of decorations for various holidays, with numerous locks, as well as heavy warding designed to contain any power exercised within.

With a wave of the hand not holding his, all the locks came undone, and the door began to swing open. Taking a deep breath to brace himself, Dean removed his hand from the grip that it was held in, and entered the small, dimly lit room, standing several feet away from the figure that not an hour ago had threatened his life.

This was something that had to be done alone.

 

* * *

 

He had been seen.

He had not killed the Target.

He had not killed the Halfling.

He had not ended himself.

He had been captured.

He had been bound, locked away in the dark. His power had been stolen from him.

She was right.

He was worthless.

They had wasted time by saving him.

He had failed.

The door was opening, allowing a small amount of light in, but he did not look to see who it may be. He had no desire to see his fate as it approached, only praying that whatever may come would do so quickly.

There was the soft sound of someone walking quietly, until whoever it was stopped. A moment passed, and the sound of fabric shifting as whoever had entered sat in front of him.

Silence filled the room, and he continued to stare at the chains around his wrists. His Grace, just out of reach to be able to use, shuddered om shock and horror at the feeling of the one before him. So, it was the Halfling that was to kill him, and not the Guardian. Interesting.

Another moment passed.

And then the Halfling spoke.

“Hi, I’m Dean, Dean Winchester. What’s your name?”

“Saman-”

He barely managed to stop himself. He had been warned multiple times that if captured, they would likely try to manipulate him into giving out information. First something simple, like his name, or asking if he would like something to make things more comfortable, and over time it would escalate into more and more questions, until the next thing anyone knew, he had given away everything.

Well, if they didn’t kill him first.

But the Halfling was speaking again.

“Saman? I don’t know if that’s your full name or not, so I’m just gonna call you Sam, because my younger brother is already Sammy, so that can’t be your name, and I don’t really know you that well, so I can’t give you a name that fits your personality. I mean, unless you really wanna be called Stabby McStaberson, because that’s totally an option right now.”

…….

What in the world was this Halfling, this  _ Abomination _ , talking about?

There was no time to dwell upon what was just said though, because it was  _ still _ talking.

“Anyway, I’m eight, almost nine, and I’ve got two brothers, Sammy and Adam, and we live here with Cas and Gabe and Luci, and Raph and Mike come to visit a lot, and-”

“Incorrect.”

The sound of his own voice was almost surprising. He had promised himself to try to stay silent even unto death, but even so, he still needed to correct the Halfling. It was only common knowledge, and after such, he would be silent.

“Lucifer is within The Cage. Gabriel is dead. Michael is in seclusion. Raphael is in seclusion. None would suffer an Abomination to live. None would treat you, or any other like you, with anything other than disgust, and would destroy you on sight.”

Raising his head slowly, he watched the Abomination as he spoke. The Abomination dared to look confused, before shaking its head and hardening it’s gaze.

“Alright then, why did you attack us? If we’re wrong, and there’s no way any Archangel would want to be anywhere near us, then why do you care? Why would you, or whoever sent you, want us dead?”

He opened his mouth, but closed it quickly. Already, his resolve was failing when matched against this mere Abomination. Perhaps some form of witchcraft was tempting his words closer to the surface, forcing him to impart information that he never wished to share with any other?

And yet the Halfling was still speaking.

“We’re kids. Yeah, Cas is an Angel, but he’s a kid. I might be a Nephil or whatever, but I’m a kid. What kind of harm could we cause to anything beyond a messy room, or a broken toy? It’s not like we’re strong enough to destroy anything really integral to anything, so why us?”

“You are an Abomination against God. Castiel has failed his mission, and ran from Heaven. Neither crime may be allowed to remain unpunished.”

The Halfling’s eyes were bright with a Righteous Passion, the kind of which was not often seen in Humans, and only seen in Angels that were firmly dedicated to their cause. It was almost terrifying just how fierce the Halfling could be when pressed far enough.

“Yeah, I bet that’s what they told you up in Jerkville. But you know what? They’re wrong. They’re wrong about me, they’re wrong about Sammy, and they’re super wrong about Cas! Do you have any idea what they did to him up there?! Do you have even the slightest clue as to why he had to leave?! Because it wasn’t his choice!”

What? What was he talking about?

“He was different from everyone else, and they all hated him for it! Only one guy was willing to take him in, and he abandoned Cas! But that’s not even the best part!”

There was a woman standing in the door, previously unseen, and radiating power beyond belief. Another Halfling? And this one was fully grown, power evolved into something entirely new. But even her attention was solely on the small one now standing in the center of the room, shouting angrily as tears began to fall from his eyes.

“No, the best part is how when they all realized he was different from everyone else, they decided that the best course of action was to *torture* him until he fell into line! But it never worked, so every, single, time, what they did to him would come undone! And did they stop to think that maybe, just maybe, he was just fine the way he was, and nothing needed to change? No!! So they tortured him again and again and again, breaking him to pieces and putting him back together the way that they wanted him!”

This….. seemed familiar.

“And that’s not all! No, even when he was the perfect little soldier that they wanted, it still wasn’t enough, because his wings, the most special and unique part of him, weren’t a ‘proper color’, so they would literally tear them to pieces, until there were no feathers left, and he couldn’t fly anymore. And he- he still can’t fly well, but he tries anyway, because he still thinks that he’s broken, and the only way that he can be fixed is if he’s perfect at everything, even though he  _ can’t fly _ !”

No, there was no way that-

“But you know what? I don’t care! They broke him, but that just means that he’s super strong, because he just kept getting back up, even after they threw him off the edge and right down to earth!”

They couldn't have, not to a fledgling, that would have gone too far, why didn't-

He didn't care, He never did. That's why she needed to do this.

But if He didn't care, why were any of them here? To suffer? Or to survive, fighting for every last scrap of mercy that they could find, and praying it would be enough to make it through another day?

Improbable. There is no need for these thoughts. Banish them from yourself, and become stronger as a result.

No, no, that couldn't be right. Forcing away thoughts that were painful, that wasn't strength, that was weakness.

It seems that our methods failed once more. We must remember this for the next subject. End him quickly, before any more trouble comes of him.

Wait, please, no-

Pain.

Pain.

Dark.

Numb.

Nothingness.

 

* * *

 

There was a surge of Grace from deep within the Dungeons. It was faint, and hardly even there at all, but somehow strong enough to make it through the near countless wards and dampeners that kept the Prison Area from being just another part of Heaven. Something was happening, and Michael needed to stop it before anyone else got hurt.

There were few Angels that were strong enough to get even the slightest trace of Grace through the warding of the Prisons. The Archangels were obviously capable of it, though they tended to spend as little time near that particular area as possible.Other possible suspects were the Guards of the Prisons, who were granted permissions to speak and hear through the wards, should any prisoner escape, or grow too violent to handle.

But all of those individuals had been under close watch since Samandriel had first gone missing, either by the Spy Network that Gabriel had built, or by their Commanding Officers, all of whom he was in regular contact with. But there was another that may possibly be capable of getting something to the outside, no matter deep within he may be.

And wouldn’t you believe it, that Angel just so happened to be one of the primary suspects since the beginning.

Entering the Prison, Michael cloaked his presence, and began walking down the twisting hallways leading towards the deepest and darkest areas, where he had been able to sense the origin of the Grace was coming from.

He was horrified as he walked past countless cells, most filled, and all displaying some form of torment having been waged against whoever the occupant was. From Angels cowering in corners, to Seraphs laid out, still bleeding from the lash of a whip, or even a few pinned to the wall by their wings with mortal blades, Michael was ready to be sick. There was something truly not right within the Prisons, and there was no telling just how far the corruption spread.

Knowing that he had no choice but to ignore the clear mistreatment of all those within the cells, least he gave himself away to any who may be watching out, He carried on, leaving behind nought but the slightest trace of Grace that whispered to all those held captive, saying that help was coming, and soon, and begging them to remain strong for just a short while longer.

Going down a stairway that would lead to the deepest chambers, the places where the worst of offenders were locked away in solitude, reserved only for those who had strayed so far for their purpose that they were a clear danger to themselves and others, yet had not strayed to the point of Falling, Michael finally found a hint of being on the right path.

All those in the cells leading to this point had been vocal, either by groaning in their pain and misery, or whispering soft words of comfort to those around them in an attempt to help each other to remain sane. But the prisoners this deep were near silent, with only a handful whispering to themselves, jumbled words with hardly any coherency to them, if they were even attempts at words anymore.

It was almost as if the prisoners this deep no longer had any hope, not for escape, not for rescue, not for redemption, or even the barest hint of mercy that could be granted. And Michael knew just as well as any of the prisoners that any plot to escape would only end in failure. Too many measures had been set in place to let any hope of the sort survive for long. Between the hundreds of guards that had been trained specifically to prevent any from leaving their cells without multiple escorts, and the winding hallways that could not be navigated quickly without thousands of years of practice, the Prisons had been designed to be impossible for any to escape.

In the distance, he could hear the soft sound of several people talking, only one of which could be identified with any ease. Thaddeus, the Angel tasked with watching over the Prisons. There was no reason for him to be so deep within the Prisons, and certainly no reason for him to be speaking with anyone that wasn’t one of the guards so deep.

Sneaking closer, Michael was able to make out the words they were saying, but only just.

“The last four have failed Thaddeus, even when we tried using the young one.”

“I don’t understand why, at the very least, the young one should have been strong enough to withstand the strain, while still being young enough for the conditioning to take hold.”

“That is what we believed about the Fledgling, and you see how well he retained the training! Not even fifteen years and it would start to unravel, without fail!”

Uriel and Zachariah. There was no way that he could be this lucky, to catch the ones that harmed Castiel, all in one fell swoop. These things just didn’t happen, and yet here he was, and the evidence was all too clear, even leading to a full confession. 

“Calm gentlemen. There are always flaws that must be addressed, no matter what the plan. These things are but a momentary setback along the road to Paradise, and there is still plenty of time to do what we must in order to iron out all the flaws, and turn them all into perfection. Just as it was always meant to be.”

And Naomi too, all in the same place, and all blatantly admitting to their guilt in front of him.

“Of course. Take your pick of any prisoner you desire, these have all been locked away for so long, they have been forgotten. And they are so deeply buried, that none shall ever hear their screams as you do what you must.”

“Why certainly. I believe that we will start with this one, and work our way outwards. No one will question the disappearance of a mere criminal, yet alone who abandoned his post. Perhaps he shall lead to the first true success. Imagine how fitting that would be, for the first prisoner in Heaven’s Prison to become the first to recognize his true purpose.”

This had gone on long enough. He had more than enough evidence to convict all those responsible. Undoing the mask that had hidden him this far, Michael filled the Prisons with the power of his Grace, glaring at the group now backing away from the cells in fear. “And if anyone would like to explain exactly what that ‘true purpose’ is, please, go right ahead.”

 

* * *

 

The house was quiet. Too quiet. He couldn’t hear Dean arguing with Gabriel about what type of pie was the best, he couldn’t feel Sam training with Lucifer to better control his powers, or anything! And the strange beings that came after he and Dean were almost stabbed were still in the house, and everything was smelling weird now and nothing was right and-

A soft, furry face was pushing at his hands, licking gently at his fingers.

Looking down at the dog that was just so soft and fluffy and clean and gentle and pure, he smiled as he patted the dog’s head. He kinda hummed a little bit as he reached over to pet behind his ears, grinning as Sigurd lifted a paw to put it on his knee.

“Siggy, where’s Dean?”

Standing up, he grabbed onto Sigurd’s collar with one hand, holding onto Dean’s stuffed wolf in the other, and let Sigurd start to guide him down the hall, down the stairs, and towards the kitchen, and he stopped right in front of the door to the basement. The door was closed, and the knob was surrounded by a child-proof cover, but it took hardly a touch of Grace to make the door swing open.

Walking down the stairs that led down to the basement, Castiel was horrified at the sheer amount of trash built up, carefully bringing the hand holding Dean’s wolf up to chew on the sleeve of his coat, whining softly as the stacks of boxes and put away items loomed overhead, making the whole area seem a lot more intimidating than it truly was.

He would have abandoned the basement and left to go back upstairs, but he could feel Dean nearby, but not only dean, but he could feel the Angel that had tried to attack them both earlier.

Creeping closer to the door, he could feel something…… odd. And the closer he got to the doorway where he could see Dean inside, the stronger the feeling grew.

There was something familiar, something scary about the feeling, something he recognized. Letting go of both Sigurd’s collar and Dean’s wold, Castiel pushed past the lady that was standing in the doorway, walking into the small room, head tilted to the side as he stared at the chained Angel, seeing something that no one else could. 

An aura of pain and torment that clung to the one who the suffering was inflicted upon, refusing to leave even if one were to forget the event. And it clung to this Angel stronger than any other that Castiel had ever seen.

“I….. I know this….” He mumbled, walking towards the now struggling figure. The Angel fought to attack him, but he felt no fear as he reached forward to place a small hand on the Angel’s forehead, eyes closing slowly as he concentrated.

After a moment, he backed away sharply, eyes wide with terror, and vividly remembered pain. His breathing was quick, and nothing could break his focus on the Angel that was now cowering in the corner, as far away as possible.

“She- Naomi- she hurt you, like she hurt me, I know she did!”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter update, but I figured I'd post it anyway, especially since NaNoWriMo is coming up soon, and I won't really be writing a lot of fic during that.
> 
> In any case, I hope you enjoy, and as always, feel free to let me know what you think about it!

Lucifer wanted nothing more than to take Sam back home and let him rest and heal. But Raphael had deemed it best for him to look over Sam, as well as the other two that had been held hostage, before any further action was to be taken.

“There’s strange things happening, both upon Earth and here within Heaven. No need to tempt the Fates with what may come should we act with unnecessary haste.” Raphael had warned, even as he set his Grace to look over Gadreel’s battered form.

“Yes, but I also fear the safety of Dean, Adam, and Castiel. If the ones who stole Sam away were to find out about either of them, then I have no doubts that they would try to steal them away as well.”

Raphael merely smiled. “For some reason, I do not think that it will be an issue.”

And so they remained within Father’s Garden, allowing the beaten and broken Grace of them all to draw strength from Heaven’s center, setting themselves to begin to heal.

Lucifer watched Sam closely, uncertain as to how his infantile Grace would react to anything that was happening. Never before had a Fledgling been anywhere near Heaven’s center so young, but neither had any fledgling ever been subject to any of the pain and sorrow that Sam had endured.

But almost as if by a miracle, Sam seemed to be coping near perfectly. Though he did not awaken from the deep sleep that he had fallen into, his Grace was near constantly reaching out, attempting to explore and interact with everything within its reach.

Lucifer was so at peace, content to watch his child as he rested, that he almost missed when the second Angel began to wake.

With a thought towards Raphael, both Archangels prepared themselves for anything that may happen. Neither of them were entirely certain of this particular Angel’s identity - one of the few downsides to having a family as large as it was, but regardless of who the Angel may be, the tie that he had sworn to protect Sam, at least during their imprisonment, was unmistakable.

So why did the dim fragments of this Angel’s Grace seem so familiar?

There was no time to contemplate it though, as the moment that the Angel was aware enough to realize where he was, he stood up as fast as he could, looking around frantically.  **“Little Bee, where are you darling? Come out, please!”**

Lucifer stood slowly, reaching out to place a hand on the Angel’s shoulder when he was close enough. “Peace brother, there is no harm that will come to you here.”

The Angel laughed bitterly, but did not try to move away. “It is not me that I fear for, but the one I care for. I have no sense of how long I have been away from him, and fear what may have happened to him in that time.”

“Tell me who it is that you seek, and I will do everything in my power to bring you together, I swear it.”

Before anyone could say anything else, yet another person who really was not supposed to be anywhere near the Garden appeared, panting slightly as he did.

“Not the one I wanted, but you’ll have to do. And you even found the Pup, good on you.” 

Frowning, Lucifer turned to face the newcomer. “Fenrir. Ignoring how you managed to get here, why are you here?”

The fully grown Nephil son of Gabriel was always somewhat of an anomaly, choosing to stay closer to his mortal side than to ascend to a more Angelic state, but then again, being Gabriel’s child, it was almost fitting.

“First off, Dad had me and the others babysitting so he could go make sure that whatever base they had set up was totally wrecked, and to take out the main location.” Fenrir leaned against a tree, trying to catch his breath as he explained. “We were generally all set for a quiet couple of hours. Jor and Hel were watching borders, I was in the house, and I even got all the kids settled for a nap.”

Raphael stepped in then, clearly just as confused. “So why are you here now, instead of with the children?”

Fenrir took a breath, before looking at both Archangels. “Because somehow, an Angel managed to slip past us all and was nearly ready to slaughter Dean and Castiel before we were able to detain him. He’s secure, but we need someone stronger in case he tries again.”

Lucifer’s heart stopped.

 

* * *

 

Samandriel had no memory of how he came to earth. One minute he had been headed to w meeting with Michael, the next he was being strapped into a chair by someone promising to fix him, and the next he was locked in what felt like a basement, a Fledgling and Nephil standing close by, barely old enough to begin exploring on their own, in an area that was flooded with the imprint of Archangelic Grace. He knew that there had to be something in between those flashes of memory, but for the moment, it was likely best to just stay quiet.

The other beings within the home, two of them somewhat akin to the pagan gods of old human cultures, yet somehow different, had allowed him entry to the rest of the home, yet would not allow him leave until one stronger than themselves said it was alright. It was understandable, but what had happened that made the pair so cautious?

The children seemed not to care though, pulling him to what they called the ‘tv room’, the Fledgling sitting down with him on a sofa while the Nephil ran to gather a small child, no more than a babe, setting him on a blanket in the corner.

“That’s Adam, my baby brother.” The Nephil explained, before moving to sit with a large, white dog that Samandriel had not noticed earlier.

Upon closer inspection however, it became clear that the dog was no ordinary hound. Subtle magic wove around it, charms that would protect the hound, that would give it strength and durability to withstand anything that the unstable Grace of a young Fledgling or Nephil could cause, as well as a spell to deflect any damage directed towards the young ones, provided they were close enough to the hound. A guardian for them then, and a rather well prepared one at that. Whoever had brought the hound to the home had Samandriel’s respect.

The two pagans (for what else could he call them?) were in the other room,talking quietly among themselves as they watched him with undisguised suspicions. He did not blame them, nor did he hold any contempt for them. They merely wished for information, the same as he had often go in search of knowledge, both on his own and in behalf of the Network.

The Fledgling was sitting on the other side of the couch, watching him closely. Samandriel smiled at the Fledgling, trying to make himself as non-threatening as possible. He had tried to watch over the young one, as had the entirety of the Network, but there were still times when he would vanish from their sight, coming back stranger each time.

He had said something about a Naomi, and how she had hurt Samandriel the same way she had hurt him, but had refused to say anything else on the topic. Well, he hadn’t really said anything at all since then, but that was just fine. The Fledgling tended to be quiet anyway, and it was likely that that fact wouldn’t change too much.

Somewhat certain that he had gathered as much information as he could about the situation from observation, Samandriel prepared to try and ask the children questions about how they had managed to come together, who their guardian was, but was interrupted by the front door opening, and a voice declaring that he was home as strong Grace flooded through the house, while both of the children to run towards him.

“Gabe, you missed everything! There was an Angel but something was wrong, and he was in the basement, but then me and Cas went to talk with him, and now he’s normal again, but Mike and Luce aren’t back yet, and Raph left really quick, so does that mean they found Sammy?” The Nephil was talking quickly, barely taking enough time to breathe between words. It was almost impressive, if not for the way that the unknown Grace began to probe at Samandriel’s being, before pulling away.

“It sounds like I really did miss all the fun! Tell ya what, why don’t you run and grab those new lego sets I saw in my room earlier, and you can tell me all about it while we put it together?”

“No way! Come on Cas!” There was the rhythmic thudding of children rushing up stairs, before what could only be an Archangel appeared in the entry to the tv room, his arms crossed as he looked at Samandriel.

“Now then, while they’re distracted, why don’t you tell me just how you managed to find your way here, and what you’re doing.”

 

* * *

 

If there was anything Gabriel hated more than watching his older brothers fight, it was having to interrogate one of his younger brothers.

One could argue that he should be used to it, having been the fourth oldest of thousands and thousands, but what he had done regularly wasn’t interrogation. No, back then it had been the simple questioning of who had stolen who’s practice sword, or who had been hogging all the sweets that he would bring back from his time on earth.

Not trying to find out why an angel had invaded his home, and according to an already faded memory imprint, had attempted to murder the children under his care.

And making matters worse, he knew this Angel well. It wasn’t likely that he would remember, as he had been but an infant by Angelic standards by the time that he had left, but Gabriel had been the first to hold him, the first to soothe him through a bad dream, and this particular Angel was the only one that he had told of his leaving, knowing that he would be too young to remember or tell anyone.

“There is something wrong with my memory. I remember being on my way to a meeting regarding a new mission, and nothing else until I was being led out of the basement. I am sorry.” He was saying, and Gabriel was inclined to believe him, but even that was something that concerned him.

If he was on a mission, that meant that someone else knew how to find his house. Someone that intended harm to his kids. And he refused to let that stand for any longer than he had to. As soon as the situation with Sam was sorted, it was time for a full sweep of Heaven.

He wondered if his totally awesome, super secret, no older brothers allowed spy network was still running in the background. They would be able to help him.

Whatever, he had a big brother act to do.

“Alright, say I believe you. Who were you going to meet, and how did they set up the meeting? I need answers Samandriel.” At the Angel’s surprised face, Gabriel sighed. “Yes, I know your name, no, the Archangels aren’t stuck up pieces of shit who don’t care about the lower ranks, so get on with it.”

The Angel was quiet for a moment, mostly due to shock, but eventually started talking. “The meeting was set up through the Commander of my Garrison. I was to go to the Archangel Garden and speak with Michael, who was to give me my mission.” There was a pause, and Gabriel watched as the Angels face slowly drained of color, and his voice drained of emotion, falling to a dull tone that no Angel had ever used before. 

“There was someone outside the forest. I tried to see what they were doing. I was taken. They showed me my true purpose, and sent me to find and eliminate a traitor.”

Samandriel seemed like he was in a trance of some kind, and it was seriously starting to freak Gabriel out.But as much as he wanted to run and find one of his older brothers, he knew that he needed to get as much information as he could, even if it meant letting this strange state last. “And what was your ‘true purpose’? Who was the traitor?” Only Father was capable of revealing anything close to a ‘true purpose’, and even then He had only really done that sort of thing by granting titles and giving jobs out. Not by doing whatever had torn up the kid’s Grace to the point that shredded cheese looked more whole.

“The true purpose is to put the universe back on course to the destiny that Father had revealed, and to help bring paradise to all beings. The first step was to eliminate the traitor Castiel for abandoning Heaven and rebelling against the purpose.”

Something shifted then, and Samandriel looked confused, no longer in the strange trance. “I can’t remember anything after leaving to speak with Michael. I’m sorry.”

“Not a problem…” Gabriel whispered, reeling at what had just happened. It was almost as if the Angel had two personalities, and just the thought of something like that was terrifying, but he had to push down his horror as Dean and Castiel came running down the stairs again, both holding enough lego sets to build a small city.

As the boys babbled about their plans to extend the ever growing city in the corner of the room, Gabriel locked eyes with Hela and Jormungandr, who shared the same grim look. Something was seriously not right in Heaven, and he needed to get to the bottom of it.

But for now, he would keep an eye on the situation, and a very close eye on Samandriel.

“Alright, here’s the plan. We’re all gonna help Dean and Cas put together their new buildings, and the city is getting expanded. Sound good?”

There was a resounding agreement from the boys in question, and Adam even joined in on the fun, bouncing and clapping from his place on the floor. No need to worry the kids.

Which lasted all of three seconds, after which the Grace of a very irate Lucifer appeared in a flash of light that was near blinding.

“Now then, who thought that it would be a good idea to try and hurt my kids?”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah, i have no excuses. its been a fair bit longer than usually since i last updated, but i'm not gonna apologize.
> 
> to anyone who actually still reads this, i hope you enjoy

Watching as all the prisoners were led from the prisons to the infirmary, all showing signs of prolonged mistreatment and abuse, and all visibly cowering away from all those who were looking on, Michael was disturbed.

He had left Naomi and her conspirators locked within the prisons, all in separate halls, with hand picked guards that were loyal to him watching over them, before leaving to oversee the transport of the prisoners. He wanted Raphael to look over them all, but his brother had been called away to help Lucifer, and so he had been left to handle the situation on his own. 

It was horrible to think of just how long things had been carrying on for so many to be affected. It wasn’t just those who were locked away with the intent for them to never be released who had been mistreated, but all of the prisoners, including all those who had been sent to the prisons for certain periods of time, whether as a reprimand for extreme failure of a mission, or for trying to cause tension through the ranks. Even those who had been placed into cells temporarily while awaiting judgment for a sin, and those who had been there as an act of protection against those who had attempted harm against them yet had not yet been caught had been harmed, and it seemed that their memories had been tampered with so as to keep the abuse hidden.

But it had not lasted, as a result of Naomi’s own ego. Had she left Samandriel alone, it was likely that they all would have been able to escape undetected. The abuse still would have been found out, one way or another, but those responsible would have likely had ample warning as to what was coming.

But it was of no matter. They had been caught, and would face the harshest of punishments for their crimes, once the full amount of harm had been properly catalogued. There would be no mercy for those who harmed so many, including those that were no more than children. And one who had been but a child.

He was unable to dwell upon those thoughts for long however, as the final prisoner was led out of the prisons, only to fall to his knees.

Acting quickly, before any could rush to the Angel, Michael moved to kneel in front of him, gently reaching out with his hands to steady the Angel, while spreading his wings to block any from looking on.

“Steady, brother. There is no more to fear.” He soothed, keeping his voice low even as the Angel shook his head.

“Not safe, never safe, need to run, can’t stand.” The Angel was looking around frantically, as if searching for any sign that his tormentors were waiting to harm him once more.

But they would never come, for Michael would not allow such things to happen again. “Be at peace. There is no need to run, for I am more than strong enough to carry you, should you wish it of me.” He doubted that such drastic action would truly be needed, but regardless, he nodded to the one that was supposed to help this particular Angel, sending them along to aid the others. 

He would personally ensure this one’s safety. It was only fair.

After all, he had sent this one to his fate.

Aiding the Angel to his feet, Michael smiled at him, trying not to let his guilt show strongly on his face. “Come, let’s get you to a place where you can rest.”

 

* * *

 

Lucifer’s question hung heavily in the air, the tension of the room rising with every second in which there was no answer. But Dean wasn’t paying attention to any of the tension in the room.

No, Dean’s attention was solely on the small bundle in the Archangel’s arms, and the soft, brown hair that was peeking up on top of the bundle. For nearly a day, he had been searching for the owner of that brown hair, and he wasn’t about to let anyone keep him away from him any longer.

Ignoring everyone in the room, he ran to the Archangel, tugging at his shirt. “Give him to me! Now!” He demanded, even as he felt everyone looking at him with pity in their eyes. When Lucifer didn’t move, he growled, before starting to punch at his arms.

“Give me my brother! Now!” He was shouting now, punching at Lucifer with every word. Before anyone else could react, Dean screamed, a blast of energy throwing everyone but Castiel back several feet, and causing Lucifer to release his grip on Sam, who then fell into Dean’s arms.

Dean fell to the ground then, pulling his brother close as he started to cry. His one and only mission, to keep Sammy safe, to make sure Sammy was ok, and he had failed it. But no more. He wouldn’t let anyone take his brother away from him. Not now, not ever again.

He could hear quiet whispering from the others in the room, and the sound of footsteps leaving him. But even then, he could feel that there was one person who stayed. And after a moment, he could sense him moving closer, before he wrapped his arms around him.

“It’s okay Dean, Sam is safe now.” Castiel whispered, but Dean shook his head.

“But I didn’t keep him safe, I let him get taken away.”

“You know that’s not true. I was the one that told you Sam would be fine while we played on the swings, remember?” Dean shrugged at Castiel’s words, leaning back into his friend’s embrace. No matter what he was told, he was still upset over the entire situation, and was fighting not to break down entirely.

After a moment, Dean looked around the room, seeing all the pillows and blankets thrown away from where he was sitting, He looked at Castiel in confusion, but the Angel just shook his head. “You did it Dean. You pushed them away, the same way that I call things to me.”

Dean could tell that Cas was trying to help, but it just made him more confused. “How? I’m not an Angel, I can’t be. You know that!”

“That’s not entirely truthful.”

Dean and Castiel turned, looking at Lucifer, who had come back into the room at some point. The Archangel sat down on the floor in front of them, sighing softly before speaking again. “Dean, you and Sam are what are called Nephilim. That’s a term for children born of an Angel’s Grace, and a human parent.”

Dean watched Lucifer closely, before looking down at Sam for a moment, a look of awe and wonder on his face. “Does that mean Momma was an Angel?” he asked softly, hoping against all hope that he would be right.

But his hopes started to die slowly as Lucifer sighed again.

The Archangel looked almost nervous, but was speaking again quickly. “I’m not entirely certain what all happened to allow for what has occurred, but Sam was born of my Grace, and you of Michael’s.”

Dean frowned, but looked back up at Lucifer. “What about Adam? Is he a neflim or whatever?”

“Nephilim, Dean,” Lucifer corrected gently, leaning to rest a hand on his shoulder. “And I’m not sure. Normally, we aren’t able to confirm the existence of Nephilim until they are fully grown and have better control over any powers they may have, but due to the strange circumstances surrounding everything that’s happened ever since Gabriel took you in, nothing is certain right now.”

Dean wanted to ask questions, to know what had made him and Sam so special to be part Angel, but he couldn’t. His voice was failing him again, keeping him from being able to express his thoughts properly. It was frustrating, and had led to Gabriel attempting to teach him sign language, but that had been even more frustrating, and Sam had always known what he needed, so there had been no need for such a thing.

But his voice was once more gone from him. Luckily, Castiel was there to help him.

“Why did we only find out now?”

 

* * *

 

If there was anything that Lucifer dreaded, it was the boys asking questions that he didn’t have the answers to.

He had no idea why Dean’s powers had decided to show themselves now, instead of when he had been in an environment that was unsafe, much as Sam’s powers had. Had his powers been active the whole time, but merely in the background, persuading John’s ire away from Sam? Or had they been sleeping away, only coming out to protect Sam?

It had made sense though, when he thought about it. Thinking back to the days soon after he had arrived to stay with Gabriel and the boys, he could recall seeing Sam’s powers, his Grace, reaching for Dean, taking comfort in the older boy’s strength. It was logical. Fledglings yearned for the strength and protection that those older to them could provide, and he could recall several times when Fledglings would nearly fully envelop themselves in the stronger Grace of others.

He had tried to answer the children’s questions to the best of his abilities, but due to the lack of any true information, he had had to tell them that he didn’t have the answers they sought, and as such would need to gather more information before he would be able to. As expected, they both took his admission with an easy acceptance, as he had always made it clear that he would never lie to them over something as simple as a question.

It had been easy enough to send the boys off to play upstairs with Fenrir, placating Dean’s fears about Sam’s safety with a promise not to let the boy out of his arms. He hadn’t fully relaxed until Sigurd had jumped up onto the couch next to Lucifer, the hound laying his head on the Archangel’s leg. Once it was more than clear that the Archangel wouldn’t be moving anytime soon, Dean had finally accepted Castiel’s desire to go upstairs.

A minute passed, and Lucifer spent it in contemplation. He had flown back to earth from Heaven as fast as he could, barely registering that he was still holding Sam in his panic. All he had wanted to do was get back to his boys, to make sure they were safe, and to find out what had been going through the mind of whichever Angel had decided that it would be for the best to try and attack the children. He hadn’t wanted to take Sam straight to the source of the danger, but he wasn’t thinking straight at the time, and now it was too late to change anything.

For the angel that tried to attack his boys to have been Samandriel, one of the Fledglings that he’d had a hand in raising, had been shocking. 

Even now, as he looked into the kitchen where Gabriel was trying to get more information from the Angel, Lucifer was amazed at how much his family had changed in the time that he had been away from them.

The children he had been forced to leave behind had all grown up, the brothers he had known had all changed, and the Father he had once loved had seemingly abandoned them all.

There would be no further guidance from the Father. That much Lucifer could feel in the core of his being, in the same place where he could feel that while Sam was indeed his child, it was not because he had ever lain with his mother, nor would he ever. And even though he couldn't confirm it, he had a suspicion that Michael never had, and never would lay with Mary either.

He wanted to say that he could explain it all, to tell the boys exactly what had happened, what it all meant, and why it had occurred, but he couldn't. There were too many questions left unanswered, and with each that was answered, at least three more came to replace it. He just hoped to be able to find enough answers to satisfy the boys when they asked him the next time.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps, and he looked up to see Gabriel approaching where he was sitting on the couch.

“How’s Sam doing?” Gabriel whispered, stooping down to kneel next to the couch, and placing a hand on the boy’s forehead.

Lucifer sighed. “He is exhausted. He drained nearly all of his strength to escape from the ones that held him, and it will likely take weeks for him to fully recover. But…” he trailed off, looking back at the child in his arms in awe before he continued. “He  _ spoke _ to me.”

Gabriel frowned at Lucifer, looking at him in clear confusion. “What are you talking about? You know that Sam doesn’t talk. He never has.”

“He called my name.”

Lucifer watched as Gabriel froze, shifting his hand to rest upon Sam’s throat, the faint, pulsing glow of Grace flowing from his fingers as he checked over the boy’s fragile vocal cords, which had been strained severely.

“I don’t believe it,” he whispered, looking up to Lucifer with tears in his eyes. “Our boy is growing up, and we missed it.”

Lucifer smiled at his brother, reaching a hand to rest upon the other’s shoulder. “There will be much time to see him grow up yet. He still has a great deal of growing to do, and I don’t believe that either of us will be missing much more of it.”

They shared a smile, and for a long moment, they were at peace.

But there was still something at the back of Lucifer’s mind, a question that needed to be answered. One that Gabriel would be able to answer.

“Brother, did Castiel ever make mention of another Angel watching over him?”


End file.
